Which president championed the Great Society programs?

• A. John F. Kennedy
• B. Richard Nixon
• C. Harry S. Truman
• D. Lyndon B. Johnson

Answer: (D)

The Great Society was a sweeping set of programs aimed at ending poverty and racial injustice in the 1960s, and it was led by Lyndon B. Johnson. After Kennedy’s assassination, Johnson used his political clout to push through Congress a wave of reforms: Medicare and Medicaid to expand health care, federal aid for education, and landmark civil rights legislation that advanced voting rights and equality. These initiatives—often grouped under the Great Society banner—define Johnson’s presidency in this era. Kennedy laid groundwork for reform, but the expansive Great Society platform and its most lasting laws are Johnson’s legacy.