Marissa Talavera
Professor Harvey
Government 2305
16 November 2016
Evaluation of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Presidency
Lyndon Johnson was a complicated man that passed a lot of great laws, but a lot of them were lost due to the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King Jr. dying, Robert Kennedy dying, and numerous protests. In addition, “the country passed through an extensive period of conservative governance” (Wilson, Glickman, and Lynn 11). Some argue that LBJ had a neglected legacy and several authors suggest that Johnson reshaped domestic policy and government. In fact, a book published in 2015 by Robert H. Wilson, Norman J. Glickman, and Laurence E. Lynn Jr. was entitled LBJ’s Neglected Legacy. In that book, they discuss 12 major initiatives that LBJ …show more content…
Johnson was unsuccessful every major attempt in foreign policy as a Global leader and Commander in Chief, so he earns a F. He increased the war in Vietnam, but there was no way for him to win. At the beginning of the war, the number of people fighting was raised “from 50,000 to 100,000 or more men and… most of the increment [were] in combat roles” (Barbour 154), but by 1967, there was about “485,000 troops in South Vietnam, almost 16,000 war dead and 100,000 wounded.” The Tet Offensive showed McNamara that there was no possible way for the United States to win the war against the North Vietnamese because the North could still fight very hard with a big offensive making it impossible for the United States to ever win the war. (Bornet …show more content…
Johnson’s presidency, it will be easy to see why he deserves a C. He had passed lots of great programs that are still in place today, but unfortunately he did more than the country was able to accept at the time. He also established large governmental agencies to carry out his policies, such as the Department of the Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to “expand the magnitude and scope of federal roles in highway development and public housing.” (Dallek 435). These created bureaucracies. Some say that these allow government to get more done, but they are expensive and subject to attack. (DalItek
Professor Harvey
Government 2305
16 November 2016
Evaluation of Lyndon B. Johnson’s Presidency
Lyndon Johnson was a complicated man that passed a lot of great laws, but a lot of them were lost due to the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King Jr. dying, Robert Kennedy dying, and numerous protests. In addition, “the country passed through an extensive period of conservative governance” (Wilson, Glickman, and Lynn 11). Some argue that LBJ had a neglected legacy and several authors suggest that Johnson reshaped domestic policy and government. In fact, a book published in 2015 by Robert H. Wilson, Norman J. Glickman, and Laurence E. Lynn Jr. was entitled LBJ’s Neglected Legacy. In that book, they discuss 12 major initiatives that LBJ …show more content…
Johnson was unsuccessful every major attempt in foreign policy as a Global leader and Commander in Chief, so he earns a F. He increased the war in Vietnam, but there was no way for him to win. At the beginning of the war, the number of people fighting was raised “from 50,000 to 100,000 or more men and… most of the increment [were] in combat roles” (Barbour 154), but by 1967, there was about “485,000 troops in South Vietnam, almost 16,000 war dead and 100,000 wounded.” The Tet Offensive showed McNamara that there was no possible way for the United States to win the war against the North Vietnamese because the North could still fight very hard with a big offensive making it impossible for the United States to ever win the war. (Bornet …show more content…
Johnson’s presidency, it will be easy to see why he deserves a C. He had passed lots of great programs that are still in place today, but unfortunately he did more than the country was able to accept at the time. He also established large governmental agencies to carry out his policies, such as the Department of the Transportation and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to “expand the magnitude and scope of federal roles in highway development and public housing.” (Dallek 435). These created bureaucracies. Some say that these allow government to get more done, but they are expensive and subject to attack. (DalItek