John F Kennedy Lbj Essay

Unlike John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson was thrown into a presidency of a nation involved in some of the largest foreign calamities most notably the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War. Kennedy’s death also placed LBJ in compromising positions as many considered him to be unworthy of holding the office of a fallen hero with many considering him a “usurper” (Schaller, et al, p. 211). Liberal Democrats remained wary and their distrust was rooted in LBJ’s conservative background especially with the knowledge that Johnson was chosen as Vice President solely to garner the southern vote in the presidential election. Johnson lacked the charisma and reputation, which had greatly aided in his predecessor’s election, but what he lacked in image, he made up with his prior experience in domestic affairs and dispelled ambiguity of the Kennedy administration (Lecture, Corey). Despite the initial wariness and suspicion of the former vice
209). He had made his name with his continual support for Roosevelt’s programs and remained ambivalent with the Truman administration, but his greatest initial asset when he first became president revolved around allowing Kennedy’s legacy to live in despite the constant belittlement from his critics. Most notably, Johnson’s first official act as president was to pass the civil rights bill penned during the Kennedy administration. The bill went through in 1964 banning the segregation in privately owned restaurants and transportation with many representatives votes used as a tribute to the late Kennedy (Schaller, et al, p. 211). This was only the start for Johnson on the domestic front as he attempted to implement an array of social programs in a country that had been neglected as a result of a strong American presence in foreign