Which president signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and launched the Great Society programs?

• A. John F. Kennedy
• B. Richard Nixon
• C. Lyndon B. Johnson
• D. Dwight D. Eisenhower

Answer: (C)

This question is about identifying the president who steered major civil rights laws and a broad domestic reform agenda in the 1960s. Lyndon B. Johnson fits this role. After Kennedy’s assassination, Johnson used his deep experience in Congress to push through sweeping reforms, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation in public places and banned discrimination, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which protected the right to vote by removing barriers like literacy tests. He also launched the Great Society, a set of programs aimed at ending poverty and expanding healthcare, education, and civil rights—most notably creating Medicare and Medicaid and funding education and community development. While Kennedy helped set the stage for civil rights, it was Johnson who signed the key legislation into law and championed the broader reform agenda.