Lyndon B. Johnson is one of the finest presidents we’ve ever had. LBJ got the Civil Rights Act of 1964 passed through sheer force of will, even at times physically intimidating segregationist congressmen into voting for it.
This PBS documentary “American Experience- 1964” is fascinating glimpse into this time period.
(Part 1)
(Part 2)
Note: PBS is removing their videos from youtube and is attempting to charge money for them. Their content should be free to all (they are supposed to be PUBLIC BROADCASTING). I uploaded a copy of this documentary directly to my website and now it’s free to everyone.
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 of the soldiers and had never wanted 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.