Lyndon Baines Johnson : Triumph and Tragedy

His presidency was both a success and a failure. A rough-and-tumble man from the fields of Texas, Lyndon Baines Johnson blended the characteristics of the legendary Southern politician with the reform-minded ideals of the New Dealer. Coming to Washington, DC as a young clerk, LBJ rose through the political ranks to become president, only to see his lifelong dream destroyed by the turmoil of the Vietnam War. Aptly identified as "guns and butter," LBJ's political agendas clashed and his reforms were sidelined by the economic and social costs of the war. Lyndon Baines Johnson: Triumph and Tragedy would be useful for classes on American History, American Culture, Political Science and Civics. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

• admonish
• allegation
• altruist
• arduous
• chagrin
• chastise
• conciliate
• contingent
• earthy
• formidable
• grandiosity
• imbibe
• incapacitated
• mentor
• obstreperous
• respite
• symposium
• tedious
• tumultuous

1. Describe and discuss LBJ's childhood. How did LBJ's childhood shape his outlook and political philosophy?

2. LBJ was a teacher before he became a politician. How did LBJ's teaching experience influence his later views and outlook?

3. How did LBJ enter politics?

4. LBJ was born in the South. In the 1930s, the economies and the societies of the North and the South differed greatly. Discuss some of these differences? Why were these regions so different? What is the historical legacy that exacerbated these differences?

5. LBJ was a charismatic and effusive man. Discuss LBJ's political personality and how his personality influenced his career as a politician and as president.

6. LBJ entered politics as a young man during Franklin Delano Roosevelt's administration. Discuss the relationship of LBJ and FDR. How did this relationship influence LBJ and his later presidential policies?

7. What was LBJ's War on Poverty? Was it successful? If so, why? If not, why not?

8. Discuss the policies of "guns and butter." How did this paradox define the Johnson administration?

9. Discuss how the Vietnam War was the political downfall of LBJ.

10. The president of the U. S. is one of the most powerful people in the world. But the presidency exacts a price from those who become president. What are the personal price presidents have paid for their presidencies?

1. Create a campaign poster for LBJ's 1964 presidential campaign.

2. Discuss the U. S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Why was this war so controversial?

3. Make a list of the positive and negative aspects of LBJ's presidency. Based on your list, would you say the LBJ's presidency was a success or failure?

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