The Great Society and

the Warren Court

Social & Legal Reforms to Protect Americans

The Great Society

• President Lyndon B. Johnson’s set of domestic programs to eliminate poverty and social injustices

• Influenced by the initiatives of J.F.K.’s New Frontier programs and F.D.R.’s New Deal policies

• Focusing on civil rights, poverty, education, health care, welfare, transportation, & housing

• Dedicated to protecting both consumers and the environment

Civil Rights Acts

IMMIGRATION ACT OF 1965

Radical break from the immigration policies of the past

Intended to change existing restrictions on Latin Americans, Asians, & Africans

Would not drastically change the existing demographics in America

3 Oct 1965: Signed by Lyndon B. Johnson

CIVIL RIGHTS ACT OF 1964

Landmark legislation against discrimination

Outlawed discrimination based on Race, Ethnicity, Nationality, Religion, & Gender

Group of Southern Senators conducted a Filibuster for 54days

1963: Proposed by John F. Kennedy (died) 2 Jul 1964: Signed by Lyndon B. Johnson

VOTING RIGHTS ACT OF 1965

Landmark legislation against discrimination

Prohibited discrimination from Voting and Voter’s Registration Restrictions by States

Cloture Vote was used to prevent another Filibuster by Southern Politicians

6 Aug 1965: Signed by Lyndon B. Johnson

FAIR HOUSING ACT OF 1968

Landmark legislation against discrimination

Outlawed discrimination against rental or purchase due to Race, Creed, & Nationality

Re-enforced the Civil Rights Act of 1866 Re-enforced Executive Order 11063 (signed by President John F. Kennedy)

11 Apr 1968: Signed by Lyndon B. Johnson

The Great Society

War on Poverty

ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY ACT OF 1964

Designed to create a safety net for the impoverished and unemployed

Intended to provide poor teens & adults with job training and higher education

Promoted increased health and financial support to the elderly and handicapped

20 Aug 1964: Signed by Lyndon B. Johnson

The Great Society

• The most ambitious and controversial part of L.B.J.’s programs

• Continuation of the goals for eliminating hunger and deprivation initiated by J.F.K.’s administration

• Spawned dozens of “community action” programs

War on Poverty

AMERICORPS VISTA

Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) consisted of various volunteer teachers

and other professionals dedicated to help fight poverty in community based programs

JOB CORPS

To help young people between the ages of 16-24 to improve the quality of their lives

through vocational & academic training.

NEIGHBORHOOD YOUTH CORPS

Established to give poor urban youths work experience in the community and encourage

them to stay in school.

COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAM

Local private and non-profit organizations designed to help communities become self-sufficient through local volunteerism and

specialized federal grants

The Great Society

COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS

Local non-profit primary care centers that provide voluntary medical services by licensed

professionals to the nation’s uninsured population (backed by federal grants)

Focus on Education

HIGHER EDUCATION ACT OF 1965

Designed to help increased resources for public colleges and universities and provide financial aid to students in post-secondary

and higher education programs.

ELEMENTARY & SECONDARY EDUCATION ACT OF 1965

Provided significant federal aid to public education programs to help schools start special programs and purchase materials.

HIGHER EDUCATION FACILITIES ACT OF 1963

Financial assistance for the construction, rehabilitation, or improvement of public or

non-profit post-secondary facilities.

HEAD START PROGRAM (1965)

Comprehensive program providing pre-school education, healthcare, nutrition, and parent services for the poor and

disadvantaged

The Great Society

BILINGUAL EDUCATION ACT OF 1968

Provided financial assistance to local school districts in assisting them to develop programs

that addressed the needs of children with limited English-Speaking abilities

Welfare & Health Care

FOOD STAMP ACT OF 1964

Legislation passed to permanently implement federal food-purchasing

assistance for low-income or unemployed families in the United States.

TAX ADJUSTMENT ACT OF 1966

Implemented provisions for special financial payments under the Social

Security Program to certain uninsured people over the age of 72.

SOCIAL SECURITY ACT OF 1965

Established Medicare to provide health insurance for anyone over 65 and Medicaid to provide similar assistance to low-income

women, children, and the disabled.

SOCIAL SECURITY AMENDMENT (1965)

Provided a 7% increase in cash benefits for the disabled, widows, and eligible children between the ages of 18-21.

The Great Society

SOCIAL SECURITY AMENDMENT (1967)

Provided a 13% increase in old-age, survivors, and disability benefits, as well as meals for

low-income senior citizens.

Transportation and Housing

FAIR HOUSING ACT OF 1968

Legislation designed to eliminate racial discrimination in housing lending and

rental, plus subsidized the construction or rehabilitation of low-income housing units.

URBAN MASS TRANPORTATION ACT OF 1964

Provided $375 million for large scale urban public and private rail projects like

BART in S.F. and MARTA in ATL.

HIGH SPEED GROUND TRANSPORTATION ACT OF 1965

Provided federal funding for the creation of high-speed rail transportation like the

Metroliner between NY and Washington,DC

NATIONAL TRAFFIC AND MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY ACT OF 1966

Developed safety standards for the design and construction of New Vehicles and new traffic speed and enforcement standards.

The Great Society

NATIONAL HOUSING ADMINISTRATION

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) merged with the Farmers Housing

Administration (FHA) to provide and manage insured home mortgages for middle to low income families.

The Great Society Consumer and Environmental Protection

• Cigarette Labeling and Advertising Act of 1965

• Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1966

• Child Safety Act of 1966

• Flammable Fabrics Act of 1967

• Wholesome Meat Act of 1967

• Truth-in-Lending Act of 1968

• Wholesome Poultry Act of 1968

• Land Sales Disclosure Act of 1968

• Radiation Safety Act of 1968

• Water Quality Act of 1965

• Land and Water Conservation Act of 1965

• Solid Waste Disposal Act of 1965

• Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act of 1965

• Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966

• Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968

• Aircraft Noise Abatement Act of 1968

The Warren Court Justice Earl Warren Appointed Chief Justice of the Supreme Court

on 5 October 1953

The Warren Court Civil Rights Issues

Engel vs Vitale (1962) New York State Board of Regents

established a daily prayer for students and teachers to recite

each morning in NY Schools

“Almighty God, we acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, and

we beg Thy blessings upon us, our parents, our teachers and our

country. Amen.”

Jewish Parents filed a complaint based on a violation of their beliefs

The Warren Court Civil Rights Issues

Engel vs Vitale (1962)

School Prayer established by the NY State Regents violated the fundamental foundations of the First Amendment to the Constitution

Justice Hugo Black: "We think that, by using its public school system to encourage recitation of the Regents' prayer, the State of New York

has adopted a practice wholly inconsistent with the Establishment Clause” violating the “Separation of Church and State.”

The Warren Court Civil Rights Issues

Abington School Dist. vs Schempp (1963)

Students of Abington School District in Pennsylvania were required to read passages from the Christian Bible at the beginning of school each day

A Universal Unitarian named Edward Schempp filed a suit in U.S. District Court

Stating that “at least ten verses from the Holy Bible [be] read, without comment, at the opening of each public school on

each school day.”

The Warren Court Civil Rights Issues

Abington School Dist. vs Schempp (1963)

The school districts requirement for students to read Bible verses violated the fundamental foundations of the First Amendment

“The reading of the verses, even without comment, possesses a devotional and religious character and constitutes in effect a religious

observance,” once again violating the “Separation of Church and State.”

The Warren Court Civil Rights Issues

Tinker vs Des Moines School District (1968)

Three Students of the Des Moines Independent Community School District planned to wear black armbands to protest government policies in Vietnam

The School Board, upon learning of the planned protest, instituted a

policy against this form of protest

On Dec 16th & 17th, John Tinker (15), Mary Beth Tinker (13), and Christopher Eckhardt (15) were

suspended from school for refusing to remove the armbands

The Warren Court Civil Rights Issues

Tinker vs Des Moines School District (1968)

The school district policy violated the students’ rights of free speech under the First and Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution

“In wearing armbands, the petitioners were quiet and passive. They were not disruptive and did not impinge upon the rights of others, therefore their

conduct was within the protection of the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment and the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth”

The Warren Court Due Process of Law

Mapp vs Ohio (1961)

Police in Cleveland, Ohio received information the Dollree Mapp was

hiding a criminal in her house

After trying to present a fake warrant, the police entered the house

Although they didn’t find the criminal, they did discover “obscene material” in the home and arrested Mapp

What amendment did the Cleveland Police violate in this case?

THE 14TH AMENDMENT

The Warren Court Due Process of Law

Mapp vs Ohio (1961)

• The Cleveland Police had violated Mapp’s 14th Amendment guarantee to “Due Process” of law

• Evidence obtained through illegal searches and seizures are inadmissible in court cases

• This decision created the Exclusionary Rule requiring courts to exclude all illegally obtained evidence from all court proceedings

The Warren Court Due Process of Law

Gideon vs Wainwright (1963)

An unknown person broke into the Bay Harbor Pool Room in Panama

City, Florida overnight on 3 Jun 1861

Gideon was spotted by a witness and Police arrested him for the crime

Gideon was broke and could not afford a lawyer and the State of Florida did not provide him with one, resulting in his conviction (5 yrs in prison)

What amendment(s) did the State of Florida violate in this case?

THE 6TH & 14th AMENDMENT

The Warren Court Due Process of Law

Gideon vs Wainwright

• The State of Florida had violated Gideon’s 6th Amendment guarantee to a fair trial and the 14th Amendment guarantee to “Due Process”

• Gideon had a right to be represented by a court-appointed attorney

• Justice Black: “An obvious truth” is that a fair trial for a poor defendant requires a competent legal counsel

The Warren Court Due Process of Law

Escobedo vs Illinois (1964)

Danny Escobedo was arrested in 1960 on suspicion that he had shot

and killed his brother-in-law

Escobedo asked to speak to his attorney and the police refused

Escobedo was interrogated by the police for fourteen and a half hours without his attorney and was convicted on circumstantial evidence

What amendment(s) did the State of Florida violate in this case?

THE 6TH & 14th AMENDMENT

The Warren Court Due Process of Law

Escobedo vs Illinois

• The State of Illinois had violated Escobedo’s 6th Amendment guarantee to Counsel and the 14th Amendment guarantee to “Due Process”

• Escobedo had a right to speak to an attorney before/during questioning

• Justice Goldberg: Any actions taken by investigators that goes beyond mere questioning should be protected

The Warren Court Due Process of Law

Miranda vs Arizona (1966)

Ernesto Miranda was arrested in 1963 on circumstantial evidence linking

him to kidnapping & rape

Miranda was interrogated for two hours without the benefit of counsel

After relentless questioning, Miranda agreed to sign a pre-typed confession which resulted in his conviction and a 20-30 year prison sentence

What amendment(s) did the State of Florida violate in this case?

THE 6TH & 14th AMENDMENT

The Warren Court Due Process of Law

Escobedo vs Illinois

• The State of Arizona had violated Escobedo’s 6th Amendment guarantee to Counsel and the 14th Amendment guarantee to “Due Process”

• In Addition, Police were obligated to inform a suspect of their rights to counsel and that they may remain silent (avoiding self-incrimination)

• Justice Warren: A person in custody must be informed of their rights and may not be questioned if they invoke their rights to remain silent