The Great Society

President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs marked the peak of liberal agenda in American politics. In this program, Johnson hoped to create a series of programs that would end racial discrimination, alleviate poverty, and address other pressing social issues.

Johnson took office following the assassination of President Kennedy. His domestic programs reached remarkable efficiency that were comparable to the New Deal. Ultimately, the "Great Society" failed to grow with the costly and largely unpopular war with Vietnam.

A major goal of the program was to eliminate poverty in America. The Great Society developments included welfare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, and public housing. Johnson also created the Office of Economic Opportunity, which oversaw many of these initiatives. Despite the boldness of these new initiatives, poverty was embedded in American society and too difficult to eradicate within such a short period. The war with Vietnam also became costly, taking billions of dollars that could have been used to fund antipoverty programs.

Sources:

http://www.pbs.org/johngardner/chapters/4c.html