The great society

Great Society Legislation Timeline

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    Great Society Legislation

  • Volunteers in Service to America

    Volunteers in Service to America
    VISTA supports efforts to alleviate poverty by encouraging individuals from all walks of life toengage in a year of full-time service, without regard to regular working hours, with a sponsoringorganization (sponsor) to create or expand programs designed to bring individuals and communitiesout of poverty.
  • Economic Opportunity Act

    Economic Opportunity Act
    The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 served as the initial step in the war on poverty aspect of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society program. The objective was to help the poor by enabling them to pull themselves from the grip of poverty. An additional aim was to improve the role of the federal government in the improvement of education.
  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965

    Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965
    Was an act passed in 1965 as a part of the "War on Poverty." ESEA emphasizes equal access to education and establishes high standards and accountability. The law authorizes federally funded education programs that are administered by the states. In 2002, Congress amended ESEA and reauthorized it as the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
  • Medicaid

    Medicaid
    Medicaid is the United States health program for people and families with low incomes and resources. It is a means-tested program that is jointly funded by the state and federal governments, and is managed by the states. Among the groups of people served by Medicaid are certain U.S. citizens and resident aliens, including low-income adults and their children, and people with certain disabilities. Poverty alone does not necessarily qualify someone for Medicaid.
  • Immigration Act of 1965

    Immigration Act of 1965
    In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed a bill that has dramatically changed the method by which immigrants are admitted to America. This bill is the Immigration Act of 1965. This act, also known as the Hart-Cellar Act, not only allows more individuals from third world countries to enter the US (including Asians, who have traditionally been hindered from entering America), but also entails a separate quota for refugees.
  • The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

    The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)
    HUD is a Cabinet department in the Executive branch of the United States federal government. Although its beginnings were in the House and Home Financing Agency, it was founded as a Cabinet department in 1965, as part of the "Great Society" program of President Lyndon Johnson, to develop and execute policies on housing and metropolises.
  • Medicare

    Medicare
    Medicare is a social insurance program administered by the United States government, providing health insurance coverage to people who are aged 65 and over, or who meet other special criteria. Medicare operates similar to a single-payer health care system.
  • The National Foundations of the Arts and Humanitie

    The National Foundations of the Arts and Humanitie
    This was to promote progress and scholarship in the humanities and the arts in the United States, and for other purposes.
  • Water Quality Act

    Water Quality Act
    President Johnson signs the Water Quality Act, preventing water pollution by requiring states to establish and enforce water quality standards for interstate waterways.
  • The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act

    The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act
    This was made to empower the federal government to set and administer new safety standards for motor vehicles and road traffic safety. The Act created the National Highway Safety Bureau (now National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). The Act was one of a number of initiative by the government in response to increasing number of cars and associated fatalities and injuries on the road.
  • Clean Water Restoration Act

    Clean Water Restoration Act
    In the late 1960s and early 1970s, the U.S. government passed a series of pollution control acts designed to clean up and protect the nation's environment. The lawmakers' intent was to reduce the impact of conventional pollutants in the air and on surface waters. Later, lawmakers recognized that toxic pollutants discharged into the water were also dangerous. They took steps to control these, too. One of the results of their efforts was the Clean Water Act.