20.3 "The Great Society" – Flashcards

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Lyndon Baines Johnson
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vice president under Kennedy, he became president upon the assassination of Kennedy and pushed through Congress some of the most ambitious domestic legislation since FDR
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Economic Opportunity Act
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A law, enacted in 1964, that provided funds for youth programs, antipoverty measures, small-business loans, and job training
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Great Society
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President Lyndon B Johnson's program to reduce poverty and racial injustice and to promote a better quality of life in the United States
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Medicare
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A federal program, established in 1965, that provides hospital insurance and low-cost medical insurance to Americans 65+
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Immigration Act of 1965
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A law that increased the number of immigrants allowed to settle in the United States
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Warren Court
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The Supreme Court during the period when Earl Warren was Chief Justice, noted for its activism in the areas of civil rights and free speech
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reapportionment
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The redrawing of election districts to reflect changes in population
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Medicaid
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A program, established in 1965, that provides health insurance for people on welfare
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What is the Job Corps?
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a federal program that trained young people from poor backgrounds
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What is VISTA?
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Volunteers in Service to America—often called the "domestic Peace Corps."
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What law was Johnson's main offensive on the "war on poverty" and the cornerstone of his Great Society?
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the Economic Opportunity Act
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President Johnson styled himself as a "New Dealer" and idolized what former president?
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FDR
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What was the Civil Rights Act of 1957?
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a voting rights measure that was the first civil rights legislation since Reconstruction
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After Kennedy's assassination, what did Johnson urge Congress to do?
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to pass the civil rights and tax-cut bills that Kennedy had sent to Capitol Hill
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In February of 1964, Congress passed a tax reduction into law. What were the results?
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it spurred economic growth. People spent more, which meant profits for businesses, which increased tax revenues and lowered the federal budget deficit
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What was the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
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it prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and sex and granted the federal government new powers to enforce its provisions
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What programs were created by the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA)?
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• the Job Corps Youth Training Program • VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) • Project Head Start, an education program for underprivileged preschoolers • the Community Action Program, which encouraged poor people to participate in public works programs
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Why did Barry Goldwater, the Republican nominee for president in 1964, scare many Americans?
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he suggested that he might use nuclear weapons on Cuba and North Vietnam
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What was each candidate's (Johnson's and Goldwater's) stance on Vietnam in 1964?
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where Goldwater advocated intervention in Vietnam, Johnson assured the American people that sending U.S. troops there "would offer no solution at all to the real problem of Vietnam." Johnson later became known as a "war hawk" because he sent troops to Vietnam and escalated the conflict
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What were the pillars of Johnson's "Great Society"?
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1) poverty 2) urban renewal 3) education 4) civil rights 5) he environment 6) consumer protection
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What was the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965? What was its significance?
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it provided more than $1 billion in federal aid to help public and parochial schools purchase textbooks and new library materials becoming one of the earliest federal aid packages for education in the nation's history
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Why was education an important cornerstone in Johnson's "Great Society"?
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Johnson had earned a teaching degree in 1930 and taught in the Houston public schools. so he knew first hand the importance of educating the youth of America
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What were the two programs created as part of Johnson's "Great Society" focus on improving the nation's healthcare system?
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Medicare and Medicaid
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How did Johnson's "Great Society" focus on the housing crisis in the United States?
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1) appropriating money to build low-rent public housing and helping low- and moderate-income families pay for better private housing; 2) establishing the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); 3) appointing Robert Weaver, the first African-American cabinet member in American history, as Secretary of HUD
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What was a result of Johnson's "Great Society" focus on housing?
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it shifted the nation's political power from rural to urban areas
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What had the Immigration Act of 1924 and the National Origins Act of 1924 done?
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they had established immigration quotas that discriminated strongly against people from outside Western Europe; they discriminated against southern and eastern Europeans and barred Asians completely
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What was "Silent Spring"?
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a 1962 book by Rachel Carson that exposed the hidden danger: of the effects of pesticides on the environment. Carson's book and the public's outcry resulted in the Water Quality Act of 1965
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What was the Water Quality Act of 1965?
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it required states to clean up rivers
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What was triggered by Johnson's policy on cleaning up the environment?
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the environmental movement in the US
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How did consumer advocates make headway during the Johnson Administration?
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they convinced Congress to pass major safety laws, including a truth-in-packaging law that set standards for labeling consumer goods and the Wholesome Meat Act of 1967
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Who is Ralph Nader?
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a young lawyer, wrote a book, "Unsafe at Any Speed", that sharply criticized the U.S. automobile industry for ignoring safety concerns. His testimony helped persuade Congress to establish safety standards for automobiles and tires.
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What is Brown v. Board of Education?
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it ruled school segregation unconstitutional
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Describe the major decisions by the Warren Court in the 1960s.
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1) banned prayer in public schools and declared state-required loyalty oaths unconstitutional 2) limited the power ofcommunities to censor books and films and said that free speech included the wearing of black armbands to school by antiwar students 3) brought about change in federal and state reapportionment and the criminal justice system.
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How did the Warren Court address the issue of reapportionment?
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1) Baker v. Carr (1962) was the first of several decisions that established the principle of "one person, one vote." 2) Reynolds v. Sims (1964), it extended the principle of "one person, one vote" to state legislative districts. 3) the Court asserted that the federal courts had the right to tell states to reapportion—redivide—their districts for more equal representation. 4) the Court ruled that congressional district boundaries should be redrawn so that districts would be equal in population
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How did the Warren Court's decisions regarding reapportionment affect political power in the United States?
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the decisions led to a shift of political power throughout the nation from rural to urban areas
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How did the Warren Court's decisions expand the rights of people accused of crimes?
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1) Mapp v. Ohio (1961), the Court ruled that evidence seized illegally could not be used in state courts. This is called the exclusionary rule. 2) Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), the justices required criminal courts to provide free legal counsel to those who could not afford it. 3) Escobedo v. Illinois (1964), the justices ruled that an accused person has a right to have a lawyer present during police questioning. 4) Miranda v. Arizona (1966), the Court ruled that all suspects must be read their rights before questioning
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How were the Warren Court's decisions on expanding the rights of those accused of crimes received by politicians and the public?
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Liberals praised the decisions, arguing that they placed necessary limits on police power and protected the right of all citizens to a fair trial. Conservatives bitterly criticized the Court, claiming that Mapp and Miranda benefited criminal suspects and severely limited the power of the police to investigate crimes
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Why did some feel Johnson's "Great Society" succeeded?
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it bettered the lives of millions of Americans by giving them many of the protections and safety nets needed to improve life
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Why did some feel Johnson's "Great Society" failed?
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it created"big government": an oversized bureaucracy, too many regulations, waste and fraud, and rising budget deficits it also created a culture of dependency
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What was the impact of Johnson's "Great Society"?
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it reduced the number of people living in poverty and it spurred the economy, however it contributed to a growing budget deficit and left many disillusioned about the responsibility of the federal government
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As a result of conservative backlash in response to Johnson's "Great Society", what Hollywood actor (and future president) became governor of California?
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Ronald Reagan
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What does HUD stand for?
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Housing and Urban Development
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Who is Robert Weaver?
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the first African-American cabinet member in US history (Secretary of Housing and Urban Development)
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What does EPA stand for?
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Environmental Protection Agency
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What did Johnson consider the "key" to unlocking the Great Society?
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education
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