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Lyndon Baines Johnson Served As The Thirty-sixth President Of The United States Of

Term Paper Title Lyndon Baines Johnson Served As The Thirty-sixth President Of The United States Of
# of Words 1447
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced) 5.79

Lyndon Baines Johnson served as the thirty-sixth president of the United States of
America. Events which marked the Johnson presidency were the funeral of President John
Fitzgerald Kennedy, the push for the Great Society, and most memorably, the Vietnam
conflict. Johnson was a man who possessed incredible power. In the early stages of his
presidency many domestic programs were initiated. The latter portion of his presidency
suffered due to his bad handling of the situation in Vietnam. Lyndon Baines Johnson
remains one of the most important political figures that shaped the last half of this century.

LBJ was born on August 27, 1908 near Johnson City, Texas. His parents were Sam Ealy
Johnson, Jr., and Rebekah Baines Johnson. Johnson’s father was a struggling farmer who
provided an unstable income for his family. LBJ probably inherited his political interest
from the elder Johnson who was politically active, serving five terms in the Texas
legislature. Johnson’s education was nothing extraordinary, graduating from a public a
high school and then attending Southwest Texas State Teachers College while the
depression was reeking havoc on the nation (Lyndon online).

Johnson taught in a grade school for a year before moving to Washington in 1931 as a
secretary to Richard M. Kledberg, a Democratic Texas congressman. Once in
Washington, Johnson began establishing many contacts. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
(FDR) appointed Johnson to head up the National Youth Administration in Texas from
1935 to 1937. This experience helped Johnson gain a Texas seat in the United States
Congress. He was a strong supporter of FDR, especially during the "lend and lease" policy
during World War II. LBJ even briefly served in the military during WWII before FDR
called all the congressmen back to Washington. LBJ’s success in the forties secured him
enough to win him a Texas seat in the United States Senate (Lyndon online).

By his side throughout his entire political career was his wife, Lady Bird. He wed Lady
Bird (Claudia Alta Taylor) on November 17, 1934. Johnson had two daughters with his
wife. Lady Bird gave birth to Lynda Bird in 1944. Three years later Luci Baines was born
in 1947 (Lyndon online). During the difficulties Johnson faced with the Vietnam conflict
he thought of his daughters to put the war in perspective. One morning he woke up at six
in the morning and started walking around. Lady Bird asked him why he was up at such an
early hour pacing about. LBJ responded, "W

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