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Lyndon B Johnson's Credibility

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Johnson and His Necessary Casualty In the tumultuous aftermath of president John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) assumed the office of the presidency and inherited Kennedy’s passion for civil rights. His push for civil caused immense friction within the democratic party, as well as the entire country. Johnson redefined the democratic party reforming it into a progressive liberal party. Johnson 's push for civil rights and reformation of the democratic party caused widespread backlash in southern whites severely weakening Democratic control of the “solid south”, the backlash stemmed primarily from the south’s history of racism and segregation and was further incensed by Vietnam and the various civil reforms of Johnson …show more content…

Johnson always had acute awareness of the nation’s minorities. Johnson had been a teacher at a segregated school for Mexican Americans and he remarked that they were “lashed by prejudice” (Trueman. NP.) However Johnson would become a congressman for the state of Texas which was democratic, and he was forced to vote against what he stood for, and instead participated in preventing any and all civil rights laws from being passed. However Johnson did not forget his principles. As vice president under Kennedy the pair pursued civil rights aggressively, changing the issue from a legal issue into one of utmost moral importance. Upon assuming the presidency Johnson’s major goals on assuming the presidency were to continue the civil rights reforms being pursued by his predecessor such as the momentous Civil Rights Act of 1964. Johnson and his new Democrats stood behind the bill pushing it through congress. The most important part of the act was that “all persons shall be entitled to the full and equal enjoyment of goods, services… without discrimination or segregation.” (Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title II). This act was by definition an attack on segregation and discrimination in southern states. This in itself would be enough to alienate southern voters. Yet Johnson pushed on with the Voter Act of 1965 which doubled down on Johnson’s pro civil rights stance by definitively stating “No voting qualifications or prerequisite to voting… shall be imposed, or applied, by any state or political subdivision to deny or abridge the right of any citizen of the United States to vote on account of race or color.” (Law 89-110. Sec. II) Johnson more than once attacked the Jim Crow laws supported by southern whites, highlighting his deliberate departure from the traditional conservative wing of Democratic Party in favor of the Liberal wing, and its

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