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Johnson Strengths And Weaknesses

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Lyndon Johnson became the 36th President of the United States of America on November 2nd, 1963. He had served as vice-president to John F. Kennedy for 1036 days when he was sworn in on Air Force One as President of the United States of America. Johnson displayed numerous political strengths and weaknesses throughout his presidency which began in 1963 as he was thrust into power after the assassination of his predecessor John F Kennedy and ended with his resignation in 1969. Johnson is widely regarded as one of the worst presidents of America. His lack of experience lead to many misgivings and mistakes on his part. While Johnson served as Vice President for John F Kenneddy,He had very little involvement with foreign affairs.When suddenly sworn in as president in 1963, Johnson struggled to deal with the worsening conflict in Vietnam and was obliged to follow his predecessors policies …show more content…

Johnson decided to escalate war in Vietnam because of the ‘Gulf of Tonkin’ Incident.A USS Maddox was on patrol in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam.The captain reported that the ship exchanged fire with North Vietnamese Torpedo boats.Two days later,The ships captain reported he was under attack,although it is widely accepted that this was due to faulty radio.Johnson persuaded congress to pass the ‘Gulf of Tonkin’ resolution empowering him to protect American lives in Vietnam.Johnson refused to send ground forces although he did send more military advisors to

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