The Three Characteristics Of Lyndon Johnson's Great Society

Lyndon Johnson 's desire to build a "Great Society" came from his roots in Texas where he lived in poverty. While pursuing his studies at Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1928-1929, he became a teacher at a predominately Mexican American school. He was forever impacted by the extreme poverty that his students lived in and would begin to view poverty as more isolating than racism (Lyndon B. Johnson, 2018). This would influence his goals to end poverty and expand education. In his speech in 1964, Johnson called for America to become a "Great Society", so that no child would be hungry or uneducated, teachers would have good pay, there would be good schools, and the nation would be a place where all people had dignity and workers would have jobs (Schultz, 2014). The three characteristics of Johnson 's "Great Society" were that all people would be free, poverty would end, and there would be equal opportunities across the country. To help develop the equal opportunities, Johnson was able to oversee the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The minimum wage was increased and extended to retail, restaurant, hotel, and agricultural workers. The Appalachian Regional Development Act of 1966 was provided $1.1 billion to fund economic programs in remote rural areas. In 1966, the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development cabinet position was developed to direct federal housing policy. This position would be held by the former head of the NAACP, Robert Wagner, who also became the first African American member of any presidential cabinet. Johnson 's efforts also helped with the creation of the Water and Air Quality Acts, the National Foundation of the Arts and Humanities, the Public Broadcasting Corporation, as well as many other consumer safety standards designed to improve health, safety, and