President Lyndon B. Johnson: a journey through American history
“I will do my best; that is all I can do. I ask for your help and God’s.”
These were the words of Lyndon B. Johnson on 22 November 1963, just hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. From that dramatic moment, Johnson’s journey to the White House entered one of the most turbulent chapters in modern American history.
Washington, D.C. — The Vice President
Lyndon Baines Johnson took office as Vice President on 20 January 1961 under President Kennedy in Washington D.C.
Johnson had once hoped to become the Democratic presidential candidate in 1960, but John F. Kennedy’s growing popularity swept aside his ambitions. Kennedy eventually chose the powerful Texan as his running mate, partly to strengthen the Democratic ticket in the South.
Despite his experience and political influence, Johnson found himself largely excluded from Kennedy’s inner circle. He nevertheless used his position to pursue causes that mattered to him, particularly civil rights and the developing American space program.
Dallas, Texas — A Nation in Shock
On 22 November 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated while travelling in a motorcade through the city. Johnson, travelling in the motorcade behind Kennedy, was immediately thrust into the centre of a national crisis.
That afternoon, aboard Air Force One, Johnson was sworn in as the 36th President of the United States. His calm and dignified response helped reassure a country stunned by the assassination.
Within a week, Johnson established the Warren Commission to investigate Kennedy’s assassination. The commission would later conclude that Lee Harvey Oswald had acted alone, although controversy surrounding the assassination has continued for decades.
Swearing in of Lyndon B. Johnson as President: Air Force One, Love Field, Dallas, Texas
This statement by President Lyndon B. Johnson was written aboard Air Force One. The flight back to the nation's capital came just over two hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas, and the administering of the oath of office to President Johnson. The President delivered the statement upon landing at Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, DC. The statement appears on an index card with typed text and President Johnson's handwritten annotations.
Washington, D.C. — The Great Society
Back in Washington, Johnson turned his attention to his vision of a better America.
His ambitious domestic program, known as the Great Society, sought to reduce poverty, expand educational opportunities, improve healthcare, and combat racial discrimination. Johnson believed that the federal government had a responsibility to help Americans who had been left behind.
In July 1964, he signed the landmark Civil Rights Act, one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation in American history. The law outlawed racial segregation in many public places and prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.
Cloture Motion for the Civil Rights Act of 1964
The following year brought another historic achievement: the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which strengthened the voting rights of African Americans.
For a time, Johnson appeared to be transforming the country.
The Gulf of Tonkin — Vietnam
But another destination on our historical journey leads far from Washington: Vietnam.
Foreign affairs were much more difficult for Johnson than domestic politics. The United States was already deeply involved in Vietnam when he became president, and Johnson inherited many of Kennedy’s advisers.
On 7 August 1964, Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, giving Johnson broad authority to expand American military operations in Vietnam.
Johnson did not initially want Vietnam to dominate his presidency. His primary ambitions were domestic, but the conflict increasingly consumed his administration.
In February 1965, he ordered a sustained bombing campaign against North Vietnam. Two months later, he authorized the deployment of American ground combat troops.
As American involvement grew, so did opposition at home.
President Lyndon B. Johnson signs "Gulf of Tonkin" resolution
America Divided
By the late 1960s, Johnson’s presidency was being pulled in two directions.
At home, his Great Society programs had produced major changes, but poverty and racial inequality remained. Civil rights struggles and violent riots in several American cities created an atmosphere of deep unrest.
Meanwhile, the war in Vietnam became increasingly unpopular. Television brought images of the conflict into American homes, while growing numbers of young Americans protested against the war.
The financial and political costs of Vietnam also made it increasingly difficult for Johnson to maintain his ambitious domestic agenda.
Washington, D.C. — The Decision of 1968
On 31 March 1968, Johnson made one of the most dramatic announcements of his presidency.
He ordered a partial halt to the bombing of North Vietnam and then revealed that he would not seek another term as president.
His decision reflected the enormous political pressure created by Vietnam, divisions within the Democratic Party, and growing opposition to his leadership.
The man who had entered the presidency promising to build a Great Society now found himself exhausted by war and political conflict.
Stonewall, Texas — The Final Chapter
He died on 22 January 1973 at the age of 64, just one day before the signing of the Paris Peace Accords, which formally ended direct American involvement in the Vietnam War!
Funeral Service of President Lyndon B. Johnson