In January of 1965, the political stage was set for Lyndon Baines Johnson to realize his lifelong ambition to emulate FDR as President of the United States. His stunning victory and the creation of Democratic majorities in Congress and the demoralization of the Republicans placed John in a very special position. At this time, the U.S. "was riding the crest of a long period of prosperity; unemployment had fallen to below five percent, prices were stable and the economy was relatively booming," (1985, Douglas, p. 23), all of which immensely helped Johnson to create a program for a "great society" that included the rebuilding of the deteriorating cities of the country, the protection of the nation's natural resources and a guarantee of an education to every American, both young and old.

             The Basis of the Great Society:.

             Johnson's "Great Society" program included many reforms besides those already mentioned and served as the theme of the Democratic platform of 1964 and Johnson's inaugural address in January of 1965. In a message to Congress, Johnson defined the test of a nation as "the quality of its people, something which his "Great Society" required in order to achieve progress without strife and change without hatred" (1991, Jeffries, p. 76). Apparently, the Democratic majority in Congress approved of Johnson's reform measures, for in 1965, it authorized the appropriation of more than $4 billion to improve the standard of living for the people of Appalachia and other depressed regions and revised the forty-year-old immigration laws to eliminate national quotas. Congress also established the Department of Housing and Urban .

             Development, appropriated funds for housing, urban renewal, the development of urban parks and the study of mass transportation and created a national foundation to encourage the arts and the humanities. Of major importance was the enactment of the Medicare bill and two bills to expand federal aid to education, along with more than $2 billion for scholarships and loans to college students.