Johnson served in the Navy as a lieutenant commander and won a Silver Star in the South Pacific During World War II. He had a positive attitude toward government and established himself as promising political force and at 27 years old, Johnson became Texas administrator of the National Youth Administration. In 1953 he was elected Senate Majority Leader at first had only the minority in the Senate. As Vice President under John Kennedy he took on many assignments which included, the President's Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, which gave job opportunities for blacks. This and among other duties allowed him to grow in the knowledge of how the political machine worked which helped later as president. On November 22, 1963, after Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Johnson was sworn in as President. One his first acts as president was to get passage of the measures President Kennedy had been trying to complete which was a new civil rights bill and a tax cut. In 1964 congress passed the Tax Reduction Act and also a civil rights law that was against segregation, banned discrimination in public places, and removed restrictions in job opportunities.

In Johnson's campaigning for a second term his views caused black voters came close to a total boycott of the Republican candidates which help him win. Johnson was favorable toward the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which removed illiteracy tests and other obstacles that prevent blacks from exercising their right to vote. Under his second term two new federal departments were established, the Housing and Urban Development, and Transportation. Johnson's platform on education, Medicare, urban renewal, and conservation was a massive undertaking along with development of depressed regions and an overall fight against poverty in our country. His views helped pass the 1965 Medicare amendment to the Social Security Act which helped millions of senior citizens. Also his belief in a strong space program gave way to many achievements such as when three astronauts successfully orbited the moon in December 1968. And in his term the involvement in Vietnam grew in 1964 from 16,000 to nearly 25,000 men in February 1965. The high demand for money to fund this act removed needed funds for some of his urban programs which caused strong criticism. After he retired from office Johnson spent his time writing and editing his memoirs.