3rd Grade
Lyndon B. Johnson
Issue 3.10
Growing up in Stonewall, Texas, Lyndon B. Johnson witnessed poverty firsthand. Many of the
people who lived near his childhood home had very little money and even Johnson himself grew up
without electricity or running water. Johnson worked his way through college and then became a
teacher in a very poor area. These early experiences made a profound impression on Johnson and
shaped his political life.
Johnson developed an interest in politics while watching his father serve as a representative in the Texas
Legislature. He learned that government officials could make an important difference in people’s lives. Johnson
got his chance to participate in government when he went to work in Washington, D.C. as an assistant to a
congressman. In 1937, Johnson was elected to the United States House of Representatives and held that position
for the next 12 years. He spent the following 12 years as a Senator. As a representative and then a senator,
Johnson worked on programs that helped people overcome poverty. He voted for more money to be given for
education, for more roads to be built, and for electricity to spread to small towns. Johnson also used his power in
government to fight against segregation.
In the election of 1960, Johnson ran for Vice President with John F. Kennedy and won. However, just
two years after the election, President Kennedy was assassinated and Johnson became the President of
the United States. Immediately, Johnson got to work to persuading members of Congress to pass a law
known as the Civil Rights Act which would end segregation. In 1964, this law was finally passed. That
same year, Johnson won the presidential election and promised to help build a “Great Society” that was
free of poverty and racial injustice. As part of his Great Society plan, Johnson suggested laws to improve
education, medical care, and transportation. In his efforts to fight against racial injustice, President Johnson
signed the Voting Rights Act into law. This law ended unfair voting practices that required African Americans to
pass tests or pay money in order to vote. Though Johnson strongly believed that the government and citizens
could work together to create a Great Society, ending the Vietnam War became the focus of his attention.
President Johnson decided not to run for reelection in 1968. During Johnson’s presidency, the United
States made great progress in making sure that all Americans had an equal opportunity to succeed.
discuss the ways in which Lyndon B. Johnson
helped expand civil rights and voting rights.
explain Lyndon B. Johnson’s plan for a Great
Society.
explain the obstacles that Johnson had to
overcome and how he overcame them.
locate Texas and Washington,
DC on a map of the United
States.
describe how Lyndon B.
Johnson displayed the character traits of
diligence, tolerance, and respect for and
acceptance of authority.
1) What did Frederick Douglass, Lyndon B.
Johnson, and Susan B. Anthony do?
A. They ran for President.
B. They worked to win the rights of citizens
for more people.
C. They wrote the Constitution.
D. They led the March on Washington.
2) The goal of Johnson’s Great Society program
was to
A. end war.
B. end poverty.
C. send people to the moon.
D. make the United States more powerful
than Vietnam.
Check your answers on the back!
senator – a member of the United States Senate
representative – a member of a state or national legislature
district – the part of a state represented by a member of the House of Representatives
poverty – a lack of money
civil rights – the basic rights that all citizens in a country have
diligence – the act of hard work and attention given to a subject
tolerance – respect for others’ values and beliefs
respect for and acceptance of authority - obeying rules and
expectations of adults and leaders
Lyndon Johnson dreamt of a “Great
Society” that was free of poverty and
racial injuctice. Talk with your parents
about other things that would help to
make this a “Great Society.”
Create an acrostic poem using the
information you have learned about
Lyndon B. Johnson. You can even create
a poem online. Just go to http://www.
readwritethink.org/materials/acrostic/ to
try your hand at poetry.
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Find these words in the word search above.
When you have found all the words, the
letters that are left will be a quote by
Lyndon B. Johnson about the Great Society.
CIVIL
PRESIDENT
REPRENTATIVE
RIGHTS
SEGREGATION
SENATOR
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2. B
As President of the United States, Lyndon
Johnson was the head of the executive
branch of government. Visit
http://bensguide.gpo.gov/3-5/
government/ national/executive.html
to learn about the roles and
responsibilities of members of this
branch.
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Test Prep Answers: 1. B
Visit this great website from Johnson’s
Presidential library. It’s made especially
for kids, so it is full of fun things to do!
http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/lbjf
orkids/main.htm