Ist EDITION
Perspectives on
Modern
World History
The Great Society
Scott Reid
Editor
GREENHAVEN PRESS
A part ofGale, Cengage Learning
; GALE
»» CENGAGE LearningFarmington Hills, Mich • San Francisco • New York • Waterville, Maine
Meriden. Conn • Mason. Ohio • Chicago
CONTENTS
CHARTER 1
Poreword
1
Introduction
4
World Map
8
Historical Background on the
Great Society
1. Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society
11
Gale Encyclopedia of US Economic History
A historical reference resource provides an
overview of the Great Society, a series of leg­
islative initiatives that was enacted during
the administration of President Lyndon B.
Johnson.
2. LBJ Describes His Vision for a
Better America
18
Lyndon B. Johnson
In a speech, the president of the United States
defines the goals and vision of a Great Society.
He describes the eradication of poverty and
racial injustice as the moral duty of a powerful
and rieh country.
3. Federal Food Assistance to Millions
of Americans Grows from a Small
Pilot Program
Food and Nutrition Service, US Department of
Agriculture
The federal agency that oversees nutrition
27
assistance programs summarizes the history of
food stamp programs in the United States.
4. LBJ Melts Some Butter to Provide
More Guns
35
Hobart Rowen
A newspaper reports on the federal budget
proposed by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968, a
year in which escalating war costs and a slowing economy forced the president to reduce
allocations for social programs.
CHARTER 2
Controversies Surrounding Great Society
Programs
1. Despite Missteps, the Great Society
Helped Americans
43
Bill Moyers
Lyndon B. Johnsons press secretary reviews
the legacy of the president's political priorities
and ambitious programs.
2. Intrusive Great Society Programs Hurt
the US Economy and Its People
51
Ronald Reagan
A US president says that the economic problems of the 1970s and 1980s were triggered
by the programs of the Great Society. He also
explains how his administration's free-market
and small-government approach is improving
the economy.
3. Great Society Programs Are Fiscally
and Morally Irresponsible
Robert W. Patterson
A writer explains the difference between New
61
Deal-type programs and Great Society entitlements. He writes that the latter increase budget deficits and encourage the degradation of
the family structure.
4. A Defense of Great Society Programs
Must Account for Demographic
Changes
72
Henry J. Aaron
A former health-care official argues that to save
Great Society programs, reforms are needed
that address Americans' longer life expectancy.
5. The Economic Opportunity Act Built the
Infrastructure for Social Service
Nonprofits
83
Rick Cohen
An expert on nonprofit organizations explains
the enduring contributions made by key components of the War on Poverty and their effect
on American society and institutions. He
also argues for advocacy as an integral part of
social services.
6. Great Society Programs Transformed
the Demographics of Higher Education
94
Thomas Brock
An education expert reviews the changes in
US Colleges and universities since the mid1960s. He reports that enrollment of women
and minorities has increased, but completion
rates differ significantly by race and gender.
7. Despite Partisan Attacks, Americans
Value the Cultural Endowments
Established by the Great Society
Cynthia Koch
105
A historian reviews the development of the
National Endowment for the Arts and the
National Endowment for the Humanities
and argues that there is an important role
for the federal government in the funding
of culture.
8. Head Start Was Based on the
Belief That Early Education Can
Eradicate Poverty
117
Barbara T. Bowman
An early childhood development professor reviews the ideological underpinnings of
Head Start and its relationship to the War on
Poverty and the civil rights movement. In her
analysis, the greatly beneficial program has
developed the Standards for understanding
child development and learning.
9. Fifty Years Later, Progress on Building
a Great Society Continues
124
Barack Obama
The president of the United States commemorates the anniversary of the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 by stating bis belief that govern­
ment can foster social progress and exhorting
Americans to continue to work on the promise of the Great Society.
CHARTER 3
Personal Narratives
1. A College Student and VISTA Volunteer
Helps Communities in Arkansas
Linda Kelly Alkana
A teacher shares her Störy of serving in the
Volunteers in Service to America program.
On assignment in Arkansas, she encountered
135
prejudice and animosity, but was able to help
others and learn valuable lessons.
2. A Writer Reflects on the Effects of the
War on Poverty on the Ozarks
141
Doris Weatherford
An author describes her personal experience growing up poor and is thankful for
the advances made possible by the War on
Poverty.
3. An African American Man Discusses
His Inability to Vote Prior to the Voting
Rights Act
145
Hosea Guice
A farmer testifies at a hearing of the US
Commission on Civil Rights about how vot­
ing officials in his county have prevented him
from registering to vote because of his race.
4. The First Director of Head Start Recalls
the Program's Origins
154
Julius Richmond, interviewed by Michael L. Gillette
The former surgeon general of the United
States discusses his involvement in the development of Head Start, which was based partly
on his own research into early childhood
development.
5. The First African American Cabinet
Member Reminisces About the Origins
of HUD
Joseph Foote
A writer reports on the recollections of
the first secretary of Housing and Urban
Development on the early years of the new
department.
164
Chronology
For Further Reading
Index