Lyndon Johnson’s efforts towards establishing a Great Society prompted widespread change in civil rights in the United States by causing bills like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to be put into effect. Lyndon Johnson was president during a time in which racism was running rampant in the southern parts of the United States. Many public facilities were segregated and while they were technically required to be of equal quality, they often were not. In Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society vision all people were equal so on July 2, 1964 Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into effect, “ declaring once and for all that discrimination for any reason on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national …show more content…
In order to make a Great Society for the United States Lyndon B. Johnson decided that no American should have to struggle to find food and shelter. In an attempt to fight this poverty Lyndon B. Johnson influenced Congress and helped persuade them to “[pass] the Economic Opportunity Act” (Miller Center of Public Affairs 2). Passing this bill allowed organizations such as Head Start, the Job Corps, and the Legal Services Corporation to be created in order to help fight poverty. Each of these organizations fight poverty in different ways. Head start promotes school readiness in children who are in a poor family from birth until they are five. The Job Corps is an organization that is focused on education and training young people for future success. While the previous two organizations are focused on educating people below the poverty line, the Legal Services Corporation is focused on giving all Americans access to justice. The organizations made through Lyndon B. Johnson signing the Economic Opportunity Act are still helping those beneath the poverty line live a better life and even allowing some to escape poverty all together. When Lyndon Johnson was president and was fighting for a Great Society, “ Millions of Americans raised themselves above the “poverty line,” and the percentage under it declined from 20 to 12 percent between 1964 and 1974” (Miller center of Public Affairs 2). Lyndon Johnson’s influence was felt even after his death in 1973 and because of his actions many organizations he helped create are still changing the world today. Lyndon B. Johnson’s efforts towards influencing Congress and the people of the United States to fight poverty helped the United States take one step closer to becoming a Great