Lyndon Johnson's Impact On The Great Society

Since about 1965, there has been a wide debate on the effects of President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society”. Some people argue that it was a success while others believe that it was detrimental to the way citizens of the United States grow independently. Despite a positive or negative long-term impact on life in America, President Johnson’s reforms shifted the social and economic climate of the U.S. The Great Society is what President Johnson wanted to create in America after becoming elected in 1963. Basically a great society would be defined, in his eyes, as a society that is assisted by government, and provides equal opportunities for all while pushing for all-around progress in the states, by ousting poverty and racial injustice. The way this would be done was through many reforms: educational, medical, social, and economic. Overall, the government was able to create new avenues of opportunity, expand health care access to the elderly, handicapped and poor, while also helping out the working class. However, the reforms of the great society were not as beneficial as it seemed. …show more content…
The first person I spoke with was my Aunt Monique Johnson. She works in insurance and grew up in a family dependent on welfare from birth to age fifteen. My Aunt stated that she is completely for public assistance and agrees that it was vital in regards to helping her family make ends meet. Also, the education reforms such as federal education funding, were key to making it possible for her to go to school, get an education, find a job, and ultimately set her up for