Great Society

Uncommon card · No. 109251

The Great Society was an initiative involving a series of domestic programs enacted by President Lyndon B. Johnson in the United States between 1964 and 1968, aimed at eliminating poverty, reducing racial injustice, and expanding social welfare in the country. Johnson first used the phrase on May 7, 1964 in a speech delivered at Ohio University, with presidential assistant Richard N. Goodwin credited with introducing the term. The Great Society sought to build on the legacy of former president Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal reforms of the 1930s, and planned to use the power of the federal government in order to address economic inequality, improve education and healthcare, and promote civil rights. The post–World War II economic expansion had raised living standards for many Americans, but significant disparities remained, particularly for racial minorities and those living in impoverished rural and urban areas. The civil rights movement was gaining momentum, highlighting systemic racism...

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