Lyndon B. Johnson Dbq

Decent Essays
Is it possible for one man’s proclamation to change an entire country’s beliefs? Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, from Texas, became the President of the United States after the assassination of J.F.K. He was originally a Texas Senator and the Senate Majority Leader, and opposed Civil Rights movements from day one, because of the people he represented. Before he was senator, he was a humble teacher in Cotulla, Texas at a small Mexican-American school. After L.B.G’s oppositions, what caused him to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964? President L.B.J signed the bill with three reasons, he loved and remembered his students in Cotulla, he had a change of heart and principles, and he didn’t care about what the South thought of him. The first example …show more content…
In this document, L.B.J says that he is free from the South’s segregational environment, and that he had a change in heart. As President, Johnson could focus more on the political and moral concerns of the country. This is yet another reason why President Johnson’s decision was principled.
The third and final reason why L.B.J.’s decision is based on principled intentions is evident in document C. L.B.J. was warned by a fellow senator that if he carried out this bill, he would lose the South’s votes and the election later that year. President Johnson basically told his long-time friend, “So be it.” This is the final and most important reason to prove why his decision was principled.
President Johnson’s signing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964 can be backed up by three reasons, that prove that this was mostly a principled decision. Johnson loved and remembered his Cotulla students, he had a change of heart and principles, and he didn’t care about what the South thought of him. His signature changed the country, and made integration possible. Segregation was now illegal. President L.B.J. ran for President again in 1964, and was re-elected. Although the Great Society programs lost funding, (due to the Vietnam War), he will always be remembered for putting an end to segregation. President Lyndon B. Johnson’s decision may not be a fully principle decision, as it could've also been political, but

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