LYNDON B. JOHNSON | 127

As a child, Lyndon Johnson proudly boasted that he would be president one day. He was determined not to struggle like his parents after watching the devastating impact of inflation on the livelihood of farmers. He dreamed big and pushed tirelessly to reach his goals. He completed his history degree and worked as a high school teacher and a congressional aide. Not long after, he ran for the US House of Representatives election in 1937.

However, Johnson achieved his dream of sitting at the White House under tragic circumstances. He was sworn in as the 36th US president (1963-1969) after the demise of John F. Kennedy. As president, although he received criticism for his response to the Vietnam war, historians praise him for passing major laws that protected the environment, improved civil rights, removed some barriers to immigration, and launched Medicare and Medicaid.