Lyndon B. Johnson Portrait of a President by Robert Dallek

Lyndon B. Johnson Portrait of a President by Robert Dallek Introduction The book â€Å"Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President† is a condensed version of a two volume work on the life of Lyndon B. Johnson – â€Å"Lone Star Rising† (1991) and â€Å"Flawed Giant† (1998). Written by Robert Dallek, winner of the prestigious Bancroft Prize, the book gives a wonderful portrait of President Lyndon Johnson, one of America’s well known politicians.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on â€Å"Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President by Robert Dallek A Book specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In his preface, Dallek says that he has abridged his two books so that it would appeal to more people particularly students. The book is based on fourteen years of dedicated research by the author that involved personal interviews, research of about 450 historical documents and oral histories. The book offers the reader an opportunity to think about the extraordin ary man Lyndon B. Johnson and how he influenced the country. The legacy left behind by President Johnson is highly debated by historians. But Dallek is convinced that President Johnson’s influenced the nation positively during the period extending from the 1930s to the end of the 1960s. The book depicts in an authentic manner, Lyndon B. Johnson as a complex personality with various shades in his character. Theme The book discusses in detail the conflicts and inner turmoil of Johnson’s early life and career and how he achieved his goals as a congressman, senator and majority leader. Lyndon Johnson was a man with a dubious background as he was involved in ballot box manipulation, back room deals, use of political contacts and control of Senators. However, he ardently supported the New Deal of Franklin Roosevelt and was truly committed to the eradication of poverty. While on hand, he showed a ruthless streak, egoism, and vindictive behavior, he was also a soft hearted, sh y, magnanimous person of extraordinary dedication, commitment, leadership and hardwork. By tracing his career and life, Robert Dallek writes about American politics, foreign policy and crucial historical changes in the American political system. The book shows Johnson as the frustrated boy who runs away from home, as the twenty three year old aide to a rich Congressman, as a forty year old Senator, and as a very unpopular president in his later days. Robert Dallek, in his book, explains the inner workings of this remarkable man – of extraordinary ambitions, lofty visions and high energy who loved working really hard to achieve his political goals. People did not always approve of the reforms he introduced. But time shows that they were truly for the welfare of the country.Advertising Looking for report on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Contents The book traces the life of President Lyndon Johnson as he starts out as a poor boy with high ambitions from a remote Texas town and how he lands in the White House, makes an impact on the nation and finally comes back to Texas in retirement. Lyndon B. Johnsons childhood is described using his own words When I was young, poverty was so common we didn’t know it had a name (quoted on p. 1). He was a very ambitious child who firmly believed he had a right to govern and lead. Lyndon Johnson was born to Sam Ealy Johnson, Jr. and Rebekah Baines who lived a hard pioneer life on Hill Country Farm. Sam was a politician and Lyndon was much influenced by the political aspirations and activities of his father. He often accompanied his father to the legislature and developed a love for campaigning. Lyndon Johnson, as a student was indifferent and lacked interest in religion. He seemed irresponsible and enjoyed drinking and wasting time with his friends. He also ran away from home on frequent trips in his childhood. He was basically a rebell ious child who had high ambitions. Without studying, he could not achieve much and that frustrated him. As a boy, he was once beaten by up a German farm boy and this event changed the course of his life. He decided to pursue his education as per his parents’ wishes and went to San Marcos College, a small provincial school in 1927. While he studied, he also took up odd jobs to pay his fees. In May 1929, Lyndon completed his teaching course at San Marcos and with the help of his uncle, George, got himself a good job in Sam Houston High School. Though he worked with passion as a teacher, Lyndons heart was in politics and in November 1931 he accepted appointment as secretary to new U.S. congressman from Texas, Richard Kleberg and moved to Washington. This marked the first major step into the political world for Lyndon. He supported Franklin Roosevelts New Deal and was much inspired by him. Lyndon’s main assets were his high ambitions and knack for practical politics. In 19 32, he returned to Texas to run Klebergs primary campaign against three other democrats. Lyndons work paid off and Kleberg won the primaries. It was during this period he met and fell in love with Claudia Alta Taylor. He proposed and married her within three months of meeting. With his aggressive style of promotion, Lyndon got the job of running the Texas National Youth Administration and made it a great success with his hardwork and won the recognition of top officials.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on â€Å"Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President by Robert Dallek A Book specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Lyndon decided to run for the House. Deciding to capitalize on the popularity of FDR, he designed a campaign strategy that would link him to FDR and his programs. He campaigned hard and met as many voters as possible. He also resorted to bribing the voters and finally won the election. Dallek writes eloquently: Johnson was a self-serving opportunist who used his connections to advance himself†¦. He was not only a shrewd operator with his eyes on the main chance but also a man of vision who worked effectively for a larger good (p. 46). Lyndon Johnson learnt very early that violating campaign finance laws and ballot box manipulations were part of the election game. He soon became adept at seeking political advantage in all ways. He also was good at business, and used his political contacts to develop his businesses. He acquired a radio station for his wife and made it hugely profitable through favorable rulings from the Federal Communications Commission. After the death of President Roosevelt, Lyndon decided to become a Senator. He wanted to run for the Senate from Texas. He campaigned hard but also broke many rules in the process. He spent a lot more than what was allowed for election campaigning. By last minute manipulation of votes, Lyndon Johnson won the election. The fraud became known to the public and due to this accusation Lyndon became very determined to be a good senator in Texas. At age 40, Lyndon Johnson became Senator. He was basically a workaholic and work was a major part of his life. He forged vital political connections. He was soon running for the post of party Whip. By 1952, Lyndon achieved the Democratic Partys Senate leadership post. With his hard work and strategic movies, Johnson ensured that the Democrats gained control of Congress in 1956 elections. He now became the youngest majority leader in Senate history. According to Bryce Harlow, Eisenhowers aide, Johnson had a special gift, an indefinable talent for leadership that created fear, admiration and a desire in others to follow (p. 82). He was good at acting, dramatizing, persuading and cajoling. He was an expert at manipulating other senators to his advantage. In 1957, Johnson chose the issue of Civil rights to upgrade his political image and decided to work to protect black rights in the South. He supported a civil rights law in 1957 which was viewed skeptically by some people and as a historical achievement by some others. A major achievement of Lyndon Johnson was the creation of NASA as a civilian controlled space agency. In 1960, he became vice presidential nominee for presidential candidate Jack Kennedy.Advertising Looking for report on government? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More On November 8, Kennedy won the presidency and Lyndon became Vice-President. Lyndon Johnson did not enjoy the passive role accorded to him. As a good will ambassador Lyndon visited many countries but his eccentric behavior abroad made people view him as a comic character. Lyndon Johnson succeeded John F Kennedy as president. He supported the Vietnam War but he did not want it to come in the way of the elections. So he wanted the military to wait till the elections were over in 1964. He won the presidential election easily and soon after, sent the US troops to South Vietnam. In early 1965, Johnson authorized ‘Operation Rolling Thunder’ that involved bombing of North Vietnam and NLF held regions in South Vietnam. It was expected to be over in eight weeks but lasted for three years and as the war dragged on Americans wanted the war to be over. In the meantime, President Lyndon introduced many programs to change race relations, reduce the suffering of the poor and improve th e overall quality of life among the underprivileged. Through his support for the Civil rights and voting rights of the black community he paved the way for the rise of a larger and richer black middle class. He is also responsible for introducing â€Å"Medicare, Medicaid, urban renewal, aid to education, immigration reform, and safety and consumer regulations† (p. 374). But towards the beginning of 1967, there was extensive disillusionment among the public over the sensibility of his reforms and the Vietnam War. Writing Style The book is written chronologically and begins with descriptions of the origins of Lyndon B. Johnson and traces his growth into adulthood and how he forged ahead in his political career. The author uses an easy to read style and the book can be understood by anyone with an interest in the character of Lyndon Johnson. The authors describe the historical background at every stage in Lyndon’s life. There are many direct quotes included in this book t hat add a lot of authenticity to the book. While some of the quotes are by President Lyndon Johnson, there are quotes by other historical people. Moreover, almost all significant events in Lyndon’s life are dated accurately. The book is written in third person and takes a neutral viewpoint. It does not have any bias in its portrayal of President Lyndon Johnson. In fact, there is equal focus on both his good and bad sides. The book allows the reader to understand that the boy Lyndon Johnson was frustrated and torn apart by his high political ambitions and the harsh realities of life. He was intelligent but unable to focus in his studies due to his unstable financial status. He is forced to take up odd jobs during his school days. He is forced to take up a teaching career before completing his teaching course. However, he was always a hardworking person. His work ethic is very strong as he often is said to work more than twelve hours in a day. However, Dallek also exposes the f act that Lyndon Johnson always sought political mileage and would stoop to any level to exploit situations to his advantage. Of particular note is the scene in which he and his wife Lady Bird are abused verbally and physically by a crowd in Dallas. Johnson prevented the police from protecting him and spent more time among the abusive crowd so that it could be recorded and televised. He used it to label the Republicans as extremists. Dallek also reveals that Lyndon Johnson was not averse to using bribes and manipulation of ballots in order to win an election. But the same Lyndon Johnson never wasted an opportunity to serve the youth and downtrodden of this country. In fact, according to Dallek, Johnson played a crucial role in creating national change by bringing the South into active politics. Thus the book gives adequate glimpses to both the sides of Lyndon Johnson. The validity of the author’s theories rests on the fact that this book is based on an extensive research condu cted on historical manuscripts, oral histories and personal interviews. Dallek does not ignore the weaker side of Lyndon Johnson. He talks about his passion to reach the top by any means – straight or crooked and also his sheer brilliance as a politician. President Lyndon Johnson is not a very popular historical figure as many people disapproved of the Vietnam War and many of his good intentioned reforms. This book, by focusing on the good side of Lyndon Johnson reminds the readers that he was a great visionary who worked to bring the South into the mainstream of society and worked to improve the living conditions of the poor and downtrodden. Personal Reflection The author depicts Lyndon Johnson as a man in eternal conflict. He always desired for higher political positions in life and the reason according to the author is that he desired power so that he could give things to the needy people. This seems to be a very superficial inference. When one reads about â€Å"The Treat ment† that Lyndon Johnson gives the fellow members of the Senate in order to get bills passed, one can understand that he was someone who loved power for its own sake. He enjoyed intimidating people with his theatrics. Also there are some instances in the book where the author does not explain why Lyndon was behaving the way he did. For example, when Joe Kennedy approaches him with an offer that he would get him a ticket if he expressed his intent to stand for presidency and include Jack Kennedy as Vice President, Lyndon lets go of the opportunity. It’s not in his true nature to let go of real opportunities. I personally wish the author could have added more details regarding his decisions. Moreover, the relationship between Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson is very confusing in the book. While on one hand Kennedy chooses Lyndon to be the Vice President, he also tries to keep him far away from foreign policy matters and important decisions such as the Vietnam War. Dallek write s about this gap while at the same time, Dallek also says that Kennedy invited Johnson to all cabinet meetings and important gatherings. The relationship between President Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson could have been elaborated further. Conclusion Despite the fact that one desires more from this book, what cannot be denied is that this book is tremendously thought provoking. This book serves as a biography of Lyndon Johnson while at the same time it serves as a guide to American history. It also traces the psychological evolution of Lyndon Johnson from an ambitious boy to a shrewd politician. Dallek’s research is relevant to the study of present day politics in the United States as it helps in understanding the workings of the mind of an intelligent politician with personal ambitions and good intentions. The book helps us understand that behind the smiling face of successful leaders, there is a lot of hard work, sacrifices, and compromises. Whether a leader stands out in histor y as a hero depends on how high his values are and how he makes crucial decisions. Lyndon Johnson seems more representative of present day politicians who try to exploit every possible opportunity to their own political advantage. Bibliography Dallek, R. (2004). Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President. Oxford University Press.

SAT - PrepScholar 2016 Students Encyclopedia

SAT - PrepScholar 2016 Students' Encyclopedia SAT / ACT Prep Online Guides and Tips The SAT is one of two major tests used for admission to 4-year colleges and universities in the United States. Colleges selecting for academic ability often use the SAT, or its counterpart, the ACT, as acriticalfactor when deciding whether or not to grant admission to prospective students. Table of Contents IntroductionFunctionOverall StructureCritical ReadingMathematicsWritingSAT Question TypesSAT LogisticsSAT PreparationSAT Scoring and PercentilesSAT / ACT ComparisonsSAT History Editor's Note: This article is the home page of the SAT PrepScholar's Students' Encyclopedia, 2016 Edition. This guide is updated annually to provide an encyclopedic range of facts on SAT topics with a focus on content relevant to students and parents. Introduction In addition to measuring academic ability, the SAT is meant to evaluate students' college readiness. Its Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing sections are designed to test the skills of math and literacy that students need to succeed in college level courses.Students may prepare for the SAT through their classroom learning and SAT-specific preparation, which may involve SAT books, tutoring, and/or online prep programs. Over 1.67 million high school graduatesin the class of 2014 tookthe SAT. Some middle school students also take the SAT as practice or to qualify for talent competitions, like the Duke Talent Identification Program and Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth program. The SAT is administered by the nonprofit organization, College Board. The current version of the SAT, which consists of three sections and allows for a maximum composite score of 2400, has been in place since 2005. Starting in March of 2016, a redesigned version of the test, commonly referred to as the new SAT, will be administered. The new SAT will feature changes in format, content, and question type, as well as returnto a pre-2005 1600 scoring system. According to College Board, these changes were made in order to more accurately reflect the skills students are learning in their classrooms, as well as to ensure greater equity in achievement across diversesocio-economic backgrounds. SAT commentators have noted that the new SAT will more closely resemble the ACT in many ways, perhaps reflecting College Board's attempt to remain competitive with the increasingly popular ACT. The current version of the SAT consists of three sections: Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing, which includes an essay. Each section is scored on a scale from 200 to 800 in 10 point increments. The lowest possible composite score is a 600 total, while the highest is a 2400 total. The sections aredivided into 25, 20, or 10 minute subsections, each of which is strictly timed. The total examtime is 3 hours and 45 minutes. The actual test-taking time is longer due to time given toproctor-led instructions and three 5 minute breaks. Students register for the SAT online through their College Board accounts. It is also possible to register by mail (this method of registration is required for students under the age of 13). The cost for students in the U.S. is $54.50, while international fees vary by country. Students for whom the registration fee presents a financial obstacle may be eligible for fee waivers, which waive both the cost of the test and official score reports sent to colleges. Students with documented disabilities may also request special accommodations, the most common of which is additional time. In the U.S., the SAT is offered seven times throughout the year, in January, March (or April), May, June, October, November, and December. Technically, students may register for and take the SAT an unlimited number of times.At least half of all students take the SAT twice, with others opt to take the SAT additional times. Students may use College Board's Score Choice to report only the score reports of their choice to colleges unless the college is one of the few that don't allow Score Choice. Students are statistically likely tosee score improvements when they retake the test. SAT preparation has also been shown to lead to significant score improvementson the test. Function The SAT is meant to be a standardized assessment of the academic and reasoning skillsthat students need to succeed in college. Muchof a college application is based on local data, such asGPA and course selection. The SAT is largely used to give anational perspective to students'abilityand college readiness. Many 4-year colleges and universities in the U.S. require the SAT or ACT as part of students' applications. Admissions officers consider SAT scores alongside other aspects of a student's application, including his/her grades, extracurricular involvement, teacher and counselor recommendations, and personal essay. Schools differ in how they consider SAT scores, soit benefits students to research their colleges' policies and incorporate theminto their SAT preparation and test-taking schedules...[Read more here] Overall Structure The SAT has three main sections, Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing. It tests the skills of reading comprehension, problem-solving with algebra, geometry, and probability, rules of English grammar, and expositorywriting. The main sections are divided into a total of ten subsections, which might be 10, 20, or 25 minutes in length. One of these sections is experimental, or variable, and is used to develop material for future tests and ensure scoring accuracy. The experimental section is unscored and may be Critical Reading, Math, or Writing. The SAT is allmultiple choice questions, with the exception of a 25 minute essay and ten student-produced Mathematics questions.Each section is scored on a scale from 200 to 800, with a maximum possible composite score of 2400. The entire test is 3 hours and 45 minutes, though administration is typically about 4.5 hours to include instructions and breaks...[Read more here] Critical Reading The Critical Reading section tests students' skills of reading comprehension and understanding of vocabulary. Itpresents short, long, and paired passages and asksquestions about main purpose, author perspective, and vocabulary, among otherquestiontypes. Critical Reading questions also require the ability to understand relationships within sentences and to insert appropriate vocabulary words when prompted. Critical Reading comprises 70 minutes with two 25 minute sections and one 20 minute section. It asks 48 passage-based questions and 19 sentence completions. Typical preparation for this section involves a review of literary terms, studying high level vocabulary words, and taking timed practice tests...[Read more here] Mathematics The Mathematics section of the SAT asks students to solve problems by applying or combining skills from pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, and probability. Interpretation of data from graphs and charts is also tested. Students who have taken a high school level algebra and geometry class have likely learned the requisite concepts to succeed on the SAT Math section. There are two 25 minute sections and one 20 minute section in SAT Math. In total, these sections contain 44 multiple choice and 10 student-produced questions, commonly referred to as grid-in questions. Students are allowed to use a calculator on this section, though most questions do not require complex calculations...[Read more here] Writing The Writing section targets skills of English grammar and essay writing. To succeed in this section, students must be able to identify and revise grammatical errors and improve the sequence of ideas within paragraphs. Highly scoring essays typically follow a 5 paragraph structure and support a clear point of view with well-developedand relevant examples. The Writing section consists of a 25 minute essay and 25 minute and 10 minute multiple choice sections. The essay is always the first section on the SAT, and the 10 minute multiple choice section is always last. Students receive a subscore for their essay, which counts for approximately 30% of their Writing section score. The multiple choice makes up the remaining 70%...[Read more here] SAT Question Types There are a total of 170 questions on the SAT, plus the essay. 160 of these questions are multiple choice, each with five answer choices. The other 10 are student-produced math questions, which are answered in a special section of the answer sheet.Most questions are arranged in order of increasing difficulty, with the exception of passage-based Critical Reading questions, which follow chronologically with the passage(s) to which they refer. SAT score reports show students how many questions they answered correctly and incorrectly by question type and difficulty level. Students can alsorequest College Board's Question and Answer service for an additional fee, which will give them a detailed report of how they answered each individual question on their test...[Read more here] SAT Logistics The SAT is offered seven times throughout the year, in January, March (or April), May, June, October, November, and December. The spring date, which alternatelyfalls in March or April, is not available internationally.The cost of the SAT is $54.50 and students typically register online through their College Board accounts. Students may request fee waivers if the test poses a financial barrier, as well as accommodations for documented disabilities. Additional fees apply for late registration, standby testing, registration changes, scores by telephone, or Question and Answer service. In order to report their scores to colleges, students must send official score reports through College Board. Depending on their colleges' policies, students may be able to use College Board's Score Choice option to select which score reports are sent...[Read more here] SAT Preparation SAT preparation has been shown to lead to score improvements on the test. The main methods of test preparation are self-studying from books, SAT classes, one-on-one tutoring, and, more recently, online programs (which may contain a one-on-one tutoring component). All of these approaches have strengths and weaknesses, and students benefit from choosing the method that is most effective for them....[Read more here] SAT Scoring and Percentiles Each section of the SAT is scored on a scale from 200 to 800. The minimum composite score is 600, while themaximum is 2400. Students receive one point for every correct answer, zero points for skipped answers, and a deduction of 0.25 points for wrong answers. Their raw scores areconverted to scaled scores through a process called equating, which takes into account the performance of all students who took the test on a given administration. In addition to their scaled scores, students receive a percentile ranking that compares their results with other students. Colleges rarely publicize that they requirea minimum SAT score, but they dotypically release data on the average SAT scores of accepted students. (Full article to come soon!)...[Read more here] SAT / ACT Comparisons The SAT and ACT are accepted equally by colleges as admissions tests. Historically, students on the East and West coasts took the SAT and Midwestern students took the ACT. More recently, the number of test-takers for each exam isapproximately equal. While both tests are meant to measure academic ability and college readiness, they differ in content, format, scoring, and overall structure. Students benefit from choosing the test that will help them achieve the stronger score for their college applications. (Full article to come soon!)...[Read more here] SAT History The SAT was first administered to college applicants in 1926. It was developed from an Army intelligence test used for recruitment during World War I. The SAT was initially developed in order to assess students' abilitiesregardless of social or financial background. The SAT has undergone numerous changes and revisions throughout the years, with a significant redesign set to take effect in March of 2016. The SAT has been at the center of both controversies and cheating scandals. Critics of the test maintain that it favors students from uppersocio-economic backgrounds whose parents have a high level of educational attainment. College Board maintains that the SAT is a fair standardized assessment of students' skills and college readiness, and that the redesigned SAT will further align with the content knowledge and skills students are learning within their classrooms...[Read more here]