Lyndon B. Johnson is one of the finest presidents we’ve ever had. LBJ literally physically intimidated congress people to vote for the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

 

 

 

LBJ got the Civil Rights Act passed through sheer force of will, even at times physically intimidating segregationist congressmen into voting for it. This PBS documentary is fascinating glimpse into this time period.

Here is part 1: “American Experience- 1964” Released January 2015

Note: PBS should be making their videos free to all (they are supposed to be PUBLIC BROADCASTING) but they’ve been removing the videos from youtube and are now charging for them. So I uploaded a copy here and it’s free to everyone.

 

 

 

 

Here is part 2: “American Experience- 1964” Released January 2015

 

 

 

 

LBJ was a good man who was afraid that pulling out of Vietnam would make the US look weak and endanger it; but he felt agonized about the deaths and did not want the war in the first place. In this photograph, LBJ cries as his son in law describes the conditions in Vietnam.

 

 

LBJ also played a huge role in protecting the environment: The Wilderness Act of 1964 passed by Congress and signed by LBJ legally defined “wilderness” and initially protected 9.1 million acres of public lands. Currently, 109.5 million acres of publicly owned federal land are under this protection- about 5% of the entire land mass of the United States.

 

 

Here’s LBJ with his adored rescue pup Yuki. LBJ’s daughter, Luci, found Yuki at a gas station in Texas on Thanksgiving Day 1966.