Lyndon Baines Johnson: Speech to Congress on Assuming the Presidency

Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the presidency in the wake of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in November 1963. Just five days after the shocking event, the new president felt compelled to assure Congress and the American public that the reins of government were firmly in his hands and that he would continue to pursue the admirable policies of his fallen predecessor. In his Speech to Congress on Assuming the Presidency, Johnson pledged to advance Kennedy’s domestic programs and initiatives and, in foreign affairs, to balance U.S. military strength with restraint. He met with success on the first front but is considered to have failed on the second. During the five years of Johnson’s presidency, the United States was buffeted by conflict both at home and overseas. Johnson responded to the demands of civil rights protesters by proposing two major pieces of legislation: the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He grappled with the underlying problem of economic deprivation by creating ambitious antipoverty programs collectively termed the Great Society. At the same time, he tried to deal with the worsening military situation in Southeast Asia. By 1968, when Johnson left office, the United States had still been unable to prevail in the Vietnam War.