The Great Society represented Lyndon Johnson's attempt to move beyond the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt and provide a variety of social programs to uplift the nation. Out of this effort came the "war on poverty," Medicare, environmental legislation, educational funding, and civil rights laws. Unfortunately for Johnson, his vision of a better America clashed with the demands of the Vietnam War. Although most of its programs continue, as a concept the Great Society did not survive his presidency. Johnson's belief that it would be possible to have "guns and butter" proved illusory.

Lyndon Johnson was convinced that liberal nationalism and the power of the federal government could transform society. His faith grew out of his youthful experiences with poverty in Texas, his political apprenticeship during the New Deal, and his desire to surpass Roosevelt's legacy. When he took office in November 1963, after John F...