Lyndon B. Johnson, also known as “LBJ”, was born in Stonewall, Texas on August 27, 1908. Even from an early age, family and friends claimed he was born a politician, which Lyndon Johnson proved time and time again. He was a very charming and bright child, though he had a bit of a rebellious streak. He finished high school at fifteen, claiming he didn’t want to go to college, but he changed his tune a few years later and went to college for his teaching degree. After his course, he taught at a middle school with underprivileged Mexican American children, whose poverty and hardships stuck with him long after the job. “Johnson later said, ‘I was determined to help those little kids. I saw hunger in their eyes and pain in their bodies… I was determined
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Officials in January of 1965 told Johnson he either had to pull troops out of Vietnam, delay the problem with their current passive role, or create a bombing plan. In February, Johnson ordered air strikes against North Vietnam in an operation called Rolling Thunder, trying to scare them into backing down. “Yet all Operation Rolling Thunder succeeded in doing was to make the North Vietnamese even more determined to keep fighting.” (Schuman, 66). By March Johnson had officially broken his promise during his campaign by sending two battalions of Marines into combat. Even though he faced a lot of backlash for this decision, Johnson knew that a domino effect of destruction could be set into action if the United States pulled troops out of the Vietnam War. North Vietnam was being controlled by a communist government and would likely spread communism if they won the war. Johnson’s foreign policy was to do what it takes to contain communism and to fight it. He sent troops to the Dominican Republic when the president was overthrown and communist rebels were trying to rise up. Eventually a peacekeeping force took the place of American troops, and soldiers were sent home. Battalions of Marines were sent to Cuba, where communists were still in power. On July 28 Johnson announced he was sending fifty thousand more troops to South Vietnam, to add to the one hundred thousand troops already there. In December of 1965 Johnson suspended in attacks in Vietnam in hopes of negotiating, but North Vietnam wasn’t interested. Johnson drew the line at bombs to end the war at this point in time. “Years later, Lady Bird Johnson was asked if her husband ever considered dropping an atomic bomb. She answered, ‘Not by his order, but there was a part of this country who wanted to do it that way and get it over with. He was scareder of that than he was of people on the left.’” (Schuman, 80). Lyndon
Officials in January of 1965 told Johnson he either had to pull troops out of Vietnam, delay the problem with their current passive role, or create a bombing plan. In February, Johnson ordered air strikes against North Vietnam in an operation called Rolling Thunder, trying to scare them into backing down. “Yet all Operation Rolling Thunder succeeded in doing was to make the North Vietnamese even more determined to keep fighting.” (Schuman, 66). By March Johnson had officially broken his promise during his campaign by sending two battalions of Marines into combat. Even though he faced a lot of backlash for this decision, Johnson knew that a domino effect of destruction could be set into action if the United States pulled troops out of the Vietnam War. North Vietnam was being controlled by a communist government and would likely spread communism if they won the war. Johnson’s foreign policy was to do what it takes to contain communism and to fight it. He sent troops to the Dominican Republic when the president was overthrown and communist rebels were trying to rise up. Eventually a peacekeeping force took the place of American troops, and soldiers were sent home. Battalions of Marines were sent to Cuba, where communists were still in power. On July 28 Johnson announced he was sending fifty thousand more troops to South Vietnam, to add to the one hundred thousand troops already there. In December of 1965 Johnson suspended in attacks in Vietnam in hopes of negotiating, but North Vietnam wasn’t interested. Johnson drew the line at bombs to end the war at this point in time. “Years later, Lady Bird Johnson was asked if her husband ever considered dropping an atomic bomb. She answered, ‘Not by his order, but there was a part of this country who wanted to do it that way and get it over with. He was scareder of that than he was of people on the left.’” (Schuman, 80). Lyndon