He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy , under whom he had served as the 37th vice president from to Born in Stonewall, Texas , Johnson worked as a teacher and a congressional aide before winning election to the U. House of Representatives in In , he was controversially declared the winner in the Democratic primary for the U. Senate election in Texas before winning the general election. Senator Kennedy bested Johnson and his other rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination before surprising many by offering to make Johnson his vice presidential running mate.
The Kennedy—Johnson ticket won the general election. Vice President Johnson assumed the presidency in , after President Kennedy was assassinated. The following year, Johnson was elected to the presidency in a landslide , winning the largest share of the popular vote for the Democratic Party in history, and the highest for any candidate since the advent of widespread popular elections in the s.
Johnson's Great Society was aimed at expanding civil rights, public broadcasting, access to health care, aid to education and the arts, urban and rural development, consumer protection, environmentalism, and public services. He sought to create better living conditions for low-income Americans by spearheading the war on poverty. As part of these efforts, Johnson signed the Social Security Amendments of , which resulted in the creation of Medicare and Medicaid.
Johnson made the Apollo program a national priority; enacted the Higher Education Act of , which established federally insured student loans; and signed the Immigration and Nationality Act of , which laid the groundwork for U. Johnson's stance on civil rights put him at odds with other white Southern Democrats. Due to his domestic agenda, Johnson's presidency marked the peak of modern American liberalism in the 20th century.
Johnson began his presidency with near-universal support, but his approval declined throughout his presidency as the public became frustrated with both the Vietnam War and domestic unrest, including race riots in major cities and increasing crime. Johnson initially sought to run for re-election in ; however, following disappointing results in the New Hampshire primary , he withdrew his candidacy.
