A few things surprised me. One was that both Johnsons were concerned with making birth control available to everyone. In those days the very idea of contraception implied promiscuity, which was anathema to a well-bred woman. It was only in 1965 that the Supreme Court ruled that states could not restrict the rights of married couples to buy and use contraceptives.
The other surprise was that LBJ did not plan to run for re-election in 1968, long before the Democratic primary returns told him that the voters weren’t happy with him (or his policy in Viet Nam). Indeed, he wasn’t sure he wanted to run in 1964. It was Bird who persuaded him to run in ‘64 but only plan on serving one term. (LBJ said as much in his own 1971 memoir).
The rivalry with the Kennedys comes through loud and clear. Indeed, Bird felt their Presidency was bookmarked by the assassination of the two Kennedy brothers. The policies LBJ is best known for – civil rights at home and war in Viet Nam – were begun by JFK, though much enhanced by LBJ.
LBJ died two days after Richard Nixon’s second inauguration. Bird lived another 34 years. The last third of Bird’s life gets a very short Epilogue. Nonetheless, she lived a very full life, before and after Lyndon.
© 2021 by Jo Freeman for SeniorWomen.com
Note: The author's interview on C-Span about this book is available: https://www.c-span.org/video/?510160-1/lady-bird-johnson. Official White House portrait of Lady Bird Johnson is by Elizabeth Shoumatoff, 1968. Library of Congress
Pages: 1 · 2
More Articles
- National Archives Records Lay Foundation for Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
- Nichola D. Gutgold - The Most Private Roosevelt Makes a Significant Public Contribution: Ethel Carow Roosevelt Derby
- Oppenheimer: July 28 UC Berkeley Panel Discussion Focuses On The Man Behind The Movie
- Selective Exposure and Partisan Echo Chambers in Television News Consumption: Innovative Use of Data Yields Unprecedented Insights
- Jo Freeman Reviews Thank You For Your Servitude: Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission
- "Henry Ford Innovation Nation", a Favorite Television Show
- Julia Sneden Wrote: Going Forth On the Fourth After Strict Blackout Conditions and Requisitioned Gunpowder Had Been the Law
- Jo Freeman Reviews: Gendered Citizenship: The Original Conflict Over the Equal Rights Amendment, 1920 – 1963
- Journalist's Resource: Religious Exemptions and Required Vaccines; Examining the Research
- Jo Freeman Writes: It’s About Time