Remarks by Former President Lyndon Johnson at a Civil Rights Symposium at the LBJ Library in Austin, TX, December 12, 1972. This is the last speech given by the Former President before his death on January 22, 1973.
I hope he knew that he, years later, would be admired for all he did. I understand that towards the end of his life he felt he did not do enough. He did and left a good road map for the future work to be done. Thank you Mr. President.
HE WAS NOTHING LIKE THAT. YOU REALLY NEED TO DO SOME RESEARCH ON HIM. DID YOU KNOW HE DIDN'T NEED TO BE SWORN IN ON AIR FORCE ONE? DIDN'T YOU EVER SEE THE PICTURE OF HIM WINKING AND SMILING AT HIS BUDDY ON THE PLANE MINUTES BEFORE? WHAT ABOUT ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO HE HAD KILLED? THE DAY IMMORTALIZED WITH JOHN-JOHN SALUTING HIS FAHTER'S PASSING FLAG DRAPED CASKET WAS NOVEMBER 25TH - HIS THIRD BIRTHDAY. WHEN JACKIE WENT BACK TO THE WHITE HOUSE TO HAVE HIS BIRTHDAY PARTY, SHE WAS SHOCKED TPO FIND OUT THAT SON OF A BITCH HAD ALL OF THEIR FAMILY'S BELONGINGS PACKED UP IN BOXE SAND BEING LOADED ONTO TRUCKS. HE GOT ALL OF HIS BIG OIL PALS AND KBR AND ALL OF THEM BIG MILITARY CONTRACTS AND HE GOT HIS CUT - BELIEVE ME - HE ORDERED 25,000 TROOPS INTO VIETNAM THAT WEEKEND! HE GOT HIS START BY STUFFING BALLOT BOXES - WELL HIS FELLOW MASON BRETHREN HELPED OF COURDE. LIKE OLD 33 DEGREE HOOVER - HIS OLD LODGE BUDDY FROM WASHINGTON DC...
Lyndon Johnson leaves historians' one of the most multi-faceted personalities of the last hundred years. Yet, listening to this speech, listening to the cadence and pall of imminent death of this man, who among us may justly cast a stone upon the work LBJ accomplished. He is, in my estimation, singular among twentieth century figures, to speak plainly to our greatest fears. And, to our greatest aspirations as a people and a nation. Much work remains to be done. May he rest in peace.
I have been studying US presidents since my political science days in college. And of all the presidents that I’ve analyzed, Lyndon Johnson is by far the most complex. He was without a doubt one of the most talented politicians and understood the US Senate institution perhaps better than any Senator in history. He also forged coalitions and welded power within the Senate arguably better than anyone else. This helped him succeed as president, and being a Southern allowed him the opportunity to understand the great challenges in bringing together the Civil Rights political coalition that was required in successfully passing the Civil Rights laws and Social programs. He was able to bring together the moderate Republicans from the North and the progressive Democrats in forging together the coalition. It is likely that the Civil Rights laws would have taken another 30 years without LBJ in office at the time. He was also one of the most intelligent presidents in history, even though the eastern intellectuals largely viewed him as a rough edged, unpolished Southern politician. Yet he was a brilliant political leader who was flawed like all politicians. But it is also ironic that only a Southern political leader of Johnson’s skills could have forged together the national coalition required to usher in the Great Society, still to this day the most progressive legislation passed state since FDR.
This is a remarkable speech, made by Lyndon Johnson only weeks before his death. Considering his origins, the incessant racial bigotry to which he was exposed as a child, and the political personalities upon which he relied to advance his career, it is astounding that he was to become one of the most profound and influential voices for the civil rights of people of color. How sad that the Viet Nam War deprived him of the esteem that The Great Society, alone, would have conferred upon him.
I agree. I've always commended LBJ for his civil rights efforts. Truly remarkable. The civil rights bill was Kennedys, but Lyndon truly embodied it with his actions
I actually read a lot on this man, visited the LBJ ranch, read papers in the LBJ library and heard some of his taped conversations, even talked to people that knew him, I think he did try and did in fact help a lot of folk
"2000Betelgeuse I actually read a lot on this man, visited the LBJ ranch, read papers in the LBJ library and heard a lot of his taped conversation, even talked to people that knew him, I think he did try and did in fact help a lot of folk" Robert Caro beatifies Johnson and says that along with Lincoln, he was our best President ever. He said that we would still be living under segregation today were it not for LBJ. That LBJ was uniquely able to make desegreation possible. He said all this in a recent NPR interview in a way as if he was assigning almost supernatural powers to Johnson. It really smacked of feverish propaganda. I wish I was exaggerating. Caro also omits the negative about Johnson. Billie Sol Estes is not in his books, for example. Then you have biographers like Doris Kearns Goodwin who just trusted everything LBJ told her, and she just wrote about that as fact. Unfortunately you have to read books about LBJ that are criticial of him to get the full picture of him.
LBJ would die just 3 weeks later. I ABSOLUTELY love him. At 6:04, you see LBJ slip his hand in pocket, then put something in his mouth. I read that he was having severe chest pain & took a pill to keep his heart from stopping.
"We have proved that great progress is possible. We know how much still remains to be done. And if our efforts continue, and if our will is strong, and if our hearts are right, and if courage remains our constant companion, then, my fellow Americans, I am confident we shall overcome. " The final public words of Lyndon Baines Johnson 36th President of the United States
Having been in politics myself for over 20 years, I can tell you its GREAT rhetoric. And its amazing that 50 years later, people are still falling for the same crap. Yes, some things have changed. But very little. And in some ways, we have gone backwards.
It was his heart. It was really bad a this point. He would be dead of a heart attack in a month. But if you know the backstory, he wanted to die. He was totally lost and didn't know what to do when he left politics. He had quit smoking when he had his first heart attack when he was a senator. The very first thing he did when he got on Air Force One leaving Washington was light up a cigarette. From that moment, he smoked, drank and ate all against his doctor's advice.
Bill Moyers resigned from team Johnson at the end of 1966 due to LBJ's abannndment of the Great Society in favor of Vietnam as his main cause and investment. Johnson never spoke to Moyers again.
notvalidcharacters He may have been "only" 65 at this point, but since he was dead by the end of January of '73, it's still near the end. He's possibly the only president whose life span might have been extended had his administration lasted longer. For all the others, either it had no effect or the stress of the job wore them down. The stress of the job probably wore Johnson down too, but not as badly as the self-destructive behaviors he spiraled into after all the promise and ambition of his career ended in failure. I've always found him a very tragic figure.
he even believed it. That was the main reason he didn't run for re-election. He didn't want another Vice-Pres elevating so soon as he did. He didn't think it was good for the nation. Then after his death, Nixon resigned and Ford took the job. We made it. Too bad he didn't have that elemental confidence in us, the "peeple"(to quote LBJ). I believe we'd have been better with him than Nixon in 69.
He was in terrible discomfort from his heart condition. If you look at 6:13 you can see him stop the speech to pop a nitroglycerine capsule he took out of his pocket to stop his chest pains.
A day before the vietnam war was officially ended in Paris. A few days before LBJ suffered his final heart attack and died, he received a phone call from president Nixon. When Nixon asked him how he was doing, LBJ replied: "I feel pretty good!"
The debate of LBJ will probably go on for another 50 years. But, you have to admit, he got alot of legislation and change completed domestically. Foreign affairs were hampered by Vietnam....
There are a couple of problems with the way Johnson accomplished his legislation. One is how he inherited the office. The other is the overwhelming landslide of 1964 which brought the enormous Democratic gains in the Congress that enabled him to do whatever he wanted legislatively. Which is fine except that it happened from the grief of the nation over JFK's death, and the memory of JFK was the main selling point of Johnson's message to accomplish his and the Democratic party's electoral triumph. This makes the success of Johnson's record an unfair and bitter one to measure his so called "greatness". Another problem with his record is that he knew from the start that Vietnam was a lost cause but pursued it anyway. That's appalling.
Nominay, How old are you!? Were you alive during the 1964 election? I was and I followed the election very closely during that year. The tremendous fear and uncertainty offered by Barry Goldwater, who tookover the Repunlican Party from the Middle of the Road so called moderate Republicans such as Nelson Rockefeller,Governor of New York, George Romney, Governor of Michigan, William Scranton Governor of Pennsylvania, Senator Jacob Javits of NY, Clifford Case of NJ, Everett Dirksen of Illinoisand Tom Kueckel of California, As you will note ALL these states are no longer electing Republicans. All these politicians opposed Goldwater and some even supported Johnson, similar to the disaffection of many Republicans from trump today. The Republican party was never the same after- It used to be the party of Lincoln and at one time the impulse of reform used to run through the Republican party--No more.+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One of our greatest presidents despite his disatrous esclation in Vietnam. He did more to improve the situation of black americans than any president except Lincoln. He established a solid safety-net for elderly (Medicare) and poor or disabled (Medicaid) Americans. That might seem to noonze1 below a waste of money, but I doubt many Americans would support abolishing those programs.
LBJ was a great domestic president. It`s too bad he got involved with Vietnam cause had it not been for that, he would have been ranked as one of the greatest president in history.
I don't know why people think JFK was better than LBJ. There is no denying that JFK was more charismatic but LBJ signed the end of civil discrimination and tried to get troops out of Vietnam. He was there for 6-7 years and he did his best.
You are totally misinformed...he kept escalating the troop levels and expanding the war...with no end in sight...hundreds of American casualties each week...this is why the American people turned against him.. and rightfully so
40 years and a few steps back. A multifaceted man, but he at least tried to push forward. Made me laugh that he was putting women in the same mix, two sets of people that are still abused and put down, well done to all of us. White males still rule! Yeehaw.
