What were President Johnson's major domestic achievements, and why they were overshadowed?

President Johnson had many domestic achievements. However, the Vietnam War overshadowed them. Even though some of his domestic achievements still exist today, he is remembered more for his role in increasing our involvement in the Vietnam War.

President Johnson had some landmark domestic achievements. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed while he was President. This outlawed segregation in public places. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended voting restrictions, such as poll taxes and literacy tests, which were used to keep people from voting. It also allowed federal workers to register voters. Medicare provided health insurance to the elderly. Medicaid provided health insurance to the poor. The Head Start program gave disadvantaged kids a chance to start school early. President Johnson signed the Economic Opportunity Act. This was a program that created jobs and worked to end poverty. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided more money for public schools.

Unfortunately, the Vietnam War was becoming more and more unpopular. President Johnson drastically increased our military involvement in the Vietnam War. There were more protests against our involvement in the Vietnam War. As the Vietnam War dragged on, people began to believe the government was being dishonest with them. They began to doubt the government. People believed the war was not close to ending, even though the government was telling them we were doing well and were close to a victory. As more attention was focused on the Vietnam War, people paid less attention to the domestic accomplishments.

The Vietnam War was a very controversial event in our history. President Johnson is remembered more for escalating our involvement in Vietnam than for his domestic accomplishments.