The Liberal Hour Summary

Improved Essays
The authors G. Calvin Mackenzie and Robert Weisbrot really use persuasive techniques to convince the readers about the significance the 1960’s had on America. They made a widely argued time period in history into a compelling story about not just liberals but conservatives as well. The authors educate the readers about the little known politicians, bureaucrats, and scholars that many readers know nothing about. The Liberal Hour was short, lasting throughout the last bit of President Kennedy’s Presidency onto the years of President Johnson. However, that short amount of time proved to many Americans that change can happen quick, positively or negatively. Efforts by both parties coming together in the 60’s were the first time Americans really saw a bipartisanship. Democrats were empowered during this …show more content…
Lyndon B. Johnson stepped over way to many boundaries that he thought would work out fine. The arrogance the authors portray of Johnson shows readers how America got into the big mess they ended up in. This arrogance then led to the Vietnam War which was just another topic of foreign affairs that was over promised by Johnson. These terrible circumstances Americans were in whether they were in the war or at home never seemed to stop. If it wasn’t for the long-lasting Vietnam War that cost the Government a substantial amount of money, policies like Medicare and Medicaid would be more affordable. Johnson wanted to use the government to make social changes by trying to make all of these things happen at once. There was a conservative movement that eventually undercut Johnson in hopes to turn things around for good. These promises that never got fulfilled left the Liberal Hour changing from optimistic to pure letdown. This changed lives forever because people still see the effects that this Liberal Hour left on everyone even

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in as president on an aircraft carrying John F. Kennedy’s dead body from Dallas to Washington D.C. Right from the start LBJ had ambitions to eliminate poverty by instilling progressive reforms called the “Great Society”. President Johnson had a very impressive list of achievements while in office; however, his failure to deal with the Vietnam War properly tainted his image. Nonetheless, President Johnson is still viewed as one of the most effective leaders in the United States and in recent history.…

    • 811 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Johnson was a steady supporter of slaves, and he owned slaves until 1862. He was a supporter of slavery, but he was not a supporter for the “upper class of the South”. Johnson had very little support with his plan of reconstruction. The southern states recognized that slavery was abolished, but they wanted to do everything in their power to make it seem like the war never happened. White owners began to think of a way they could stand up for themselves and form their own reconstruction…

    • 1225 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    To insure we do not have a recurrence of the great depression we must start with an even greater society and that is exactly what Lyndon B. Johnson had created. Lyndon Johnson the 37th president of the United States did not go to school believing that one day he would run this country. Mr. Johnson came from a less fortunate family, who attended college to teach the less fortunate children of minorities, this did help his presidency because he could see where people other than the rich first class was coming from and acknowledged that they needed more help. President Johnson believed that a great society would be a society “Where progress is the servant of our needs,” (Johnson qtd. in Great).…

    • 1094 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “In 1937 Johnson won a Texas seat in the US House of Representatives, holding the position for 11 years” ( Politics or Principal… 405). He then served in the Navy as a lieutenant commander until President Franklin Roosevelt called him back and he was elected into the senate. He next became the senate majority leader and nine years later became president after President Kennedy was Assassinated. During Johnson’s early years in congress he indirectly opposed civil rights. Then when he was president he passed the Civil Rights Act into law, the act guaranteed stronger voting rights, equal employment opportunities, and all Americans the right to use public facilities.…

    • 824 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “No decade in the twentieth century painted a more distinct and powerful image of America than the 1960’s” (Brinkley, 720). At the beginning of this decade, President John F. Kennedy took office as a young and strong liberal leader. He had countless dreams and ideas of what he wanted to accomplish during his term. Those ideas included federal aid for education, tax cuts to stimulate the economy, civil rights acts, government regulated medical care, and the creation of the Peace Corps.…

    • 1241 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Conservatism Dbq

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages

    A new conservatism rose to prominence in the United States between 1960 and 1989 because of growing distrust of the liberal government, new free-market solutions to the problem of widespread disappointment in liberal actions, and a decrease in proper ethics and morals. During this time period, presidential candidates pushed towards a more conservative point of view as the masses changed the ideals of living in America. As the social and economic standpoint of America as a world power grew, the American people needed to adjust their way of living. Starting with President John Kennedy as a republican president and ending this period of time with Ronald Reagan, a conservative president, the presidential shift represents the social, economic, and…

    • 900 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    1960s Dbq Analysis

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The 1950s have always been portrayed as a perfectly painted picture, an era of traditionalism, prosperity, and conformity, however, as the 1960s ushered in the United States proved to be the complete opposite with recklessness, disillusionment, and protest. Many historians identify these two decades this way and it is completely true considering both social and political aspects of the 1950s and the 1960s are incredibly different. Political aspects in the 1950s were outstanding, the economy was great and a great military leader was the president of the era, Eisenhower. After the war production of the 1930s and 1940s, factories across the nation began to switch over to consumer production and a combination of war inflation and new found consumerism…

    • 1437 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In between these phrases, he mentions political issues that need to be passed through congress quickly. Johnson uses the past president's death as a way to make the American people believe that they need to pass these laws. By using this contrast at the end, Johnson truly uplifts and motivates the audience. He also alludes to the previous work he had done with the civil rights movement. Once again using credibility, instead of emotion, to persuade his audience.…

    • 870 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    On May 22, 1964 Johnson gave a commencement speech at the University of Michigan in which he outlined his Great Society plan. The three major areas Johnson wanted to improve were cities, the countryside, and education; he proposed creating not just economic prosperity but a better quality of life. Johnson admitted that there were already programs directed at those issues but did not believe they were doing enough , and obviously many Americans agreed since they voted for him in the election. As President, Johnson implemented an agenda of massive scale never seen before. Whereas the New Deal mostly benefited those just above the lowest part of the economic scale, The Great Society gave something to everybody: health care for the old, new facilities and programs for schools, food stamps for the hungry, tax incentives for business, even parks and wilderness preservation for environmentalists.…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    For instance, Jackie Kennedy’s effort to refurbish the White House is not left out. Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot also includes pictures and diagrams which helps the reader to understand what was going on. O’Reilly and Dugard are qualified to have written this book simply because they have done their research and provided sources for each chapter in the back of the book. This book gives a clear picture of what was important in the United States in the early 1960’s; stopping the spread of communism and civil rights.…

    • 1069 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Lyndon B. Johnson once said this quote, “The presidency has made every man who occupied it, no matter how small, bigger than he was; and no matter how big, not big enough for its demands.” This quote really described what the presidency was like to the men who have occupied the position. The first part of this quote explained how the presidency has made those who have occupied it step up to tasks that they never thought they would have to handle. Tasks much bigger than themselves. The second part of this quote explained how the presidency is a big position but not big enough for the men who occupy it.…

    • 2753 Words
    • 12 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Lyndon B. Johnson and the transformation of American Politics, 1908-1973. By John L. Bullion. John L. Bullion, a professor and historian that teaches the history of America. He specializes in teaching about the American Revolution Era, politics, and policies. While furthering his research on some of his work.…

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Figueroa 1 Destiny Figueroa Ms. McClung English 1101 18 September 2015 Roaring 20’s vs. Swinging 60’s Let ’s take a trip back… way back… back into time. The 1920’s and 1960’s are two decades that have really defined the United States’ culture. From flappers to hippies, jazz music to rock, and Civil Rights movements, these two decades have helped shape the beliefs and rights we have today.…

    • 1017 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Vietnam War is one of the longest and most divisive wars in US history. U.S entry into the war was largely due to misperceptions about Vietnam by U.S policymakers, including US presidents. President Kennedy and President Johnson were both responsible for the escalation of US involvement in Vietnam. In this essay, I will discuss which US president, Kennedy or Johnson, was most responsible for US involvement in the Vietnam War. First, I will discuss why President Kennedy is responsible for US involvement in the Vietnam War.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Following Kennedy’s assassination, Lyndon Baines Johnson assumed the role of presidency in 1963. During this time, there were little bursts of antiwar sentiment on the political fringes of the United States, but this perspective did not encapsulate the typical American citizen (Morgan 140). Generally, the American imagination of Vietnam was skewed positively. The news was often painted from a positive lens, detailing America’s success and helpfulness in helping South Vietnam gain independence from communism. Coupled with the pressure of assuming presidency after Kennedy’s assassination, he listened intently to Kennedy’s team of technocrats believing that concentrated bursts of violence would quickly resolve the impending nature of North Vietnam’s…

    • 1215 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays

Related Topics