Answer:
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Explanation:
The Great Society was an ambitious series of policy initiatives, legislation and programs spearheaded by President Lyndon B. Johnson with the main goals of ending poverty, reducing crime, abolishing inequality and improving the environment.
In May 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson laid out his agenda for a “Great Society” during a speech at the University of Michigan.
With his eye on re-election that year, Johnson set in motion his Great Society, the largest social reform plan in modern history.
In March 1964, Johnson introduced the Office of Economic Opportunity and the Economic Opportunity Act during a special message to Congress.
He’d hoped to help the underprivileged break the poverty cycle by helping them develop job skills, further their education and find work.
Other initiatives the so-called War on Poverty offered were:
• a Community Action program for people to tackle poverty within their own communities
• the ability for the government to recruit and train skilled American volunteers to serve poverty-stricken communities
• loans and guarantees for employers who offered jobs to the unemployed
• funds for farmers to purchase land and establish agricultural co-ops
• help for unemployed parents preparing to enter the workforce
After Johnson became President and Democrats took control of Congress in 1964, Medicare and Medicaid became law.
Medicare covered hospital and physician costs for the elderly who qualified; Medicaid covered healthcare costs for people getting cash assistance from the government.
Both programs served as safety nets for America’s most vulnerable.
Education reform was also a key part of the Great Society. In 1965, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act was passed.
It guaranteed federal funding for education in school districts whose student majority was low-income. It also:
• funded preschool programs
• supported school libraries
• purchased school textbooks
• provided special education services
The Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 provided federal funds to cities for urban renewal and development.
For cities to receive the funds, they had to establish minimum housing standards.
In 1968, President Richard M. Nixon set out to undo or revamp much of the Great Society’s legislation.
Nixon wasn’t completely successful, however, and the political infighting for social reform has been raging ever since.
Despite Johnson’s Great Society having a lasting impact on almost all future political and social agendas, his success was overshadowed by the Vietnam War. He was forced to divert funds from the War on Poverty to the War in Vietnam.
