Johnson lowered restrictions on immigration, and made school more accessible for young children.ĭuring Liberalisms finest hour in this country, our nation secured its footing as a welfare state. Domestically, Johnson was able to pass the Medical Care Act of 1965, ensuring Medicare for the old, and Medicate for the poor. On the civil rights front, Johnson oversaw the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the 24th Amendment, ensuring blacks equality both in society and at the polls. The phrase “Do it for Jack” was not an un common one as Johnson used the unfortunate circumstances by which he became president to further Kennedys unfinished political agenda and legacy. Johnson largely ignored the rest of the world during his administration, strictly focusing on the promotion of his Great Society and the finishing of the Kennedy agenda. Johnson, on the other hand, is known for his brand of New Deal, domestic liberalism. In 1963, when Alabama Governor George Wallace refused to allow African Americans into his states flagship university, Kennedy mobilized the National Guard to escort them to school, and in a powerful speech from the oval office he called for the landmark legislation which would eventually become the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As you can watch in the video attached to this page, Kennedys brand of liberalism sough to include all. Kennedy fought for expanded social security, and health care for the old, but also escalated American involvement in Vietnam, a move many historians consider to be not because of Kennedys desire for a small nation in Southeast Asia to stay democratic, but rather because of his disdain for the communist Soviets.

In his presidency, Kennedy fought for a higher federal minimum wage to help the average working family, but he also launched what would become known as the “space race” and the initiative to have a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Kennedy is known for his brand of Cold War Liberalism, seeking to advance the issues of both the welfare of those at home, but also striving to defeat the Soviets. In the development of what some would call the “Welfare State”, two main branches of liberalism define the 60’s. In regard to the presidencies of JFK and LBJ, the concept of a liberal, or Liberalism, can simply be defined as using the role of the state to expand the choices available too the poor and powerless (Dionne). In the political world, the world “liberal” is tossed around all the time, creating a situation where people often aren’t sure what it actually means. More specifically, a brand of US Liberalism which emerged during FDR’s New Deal, manifested itself during the Presidencies of John F.

A defining factor of the 1960’s political landscape, and one which should not go unmentioned is that of Liberalism.

Liberas and dictators