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12 Axes Test
Portrait of Lyndon B. Johnson

Thirty-sixth US president

Lyndon B. Johnson’s political views

The president who signed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Medicare and Medicaid, and who also escalated the Vietnam War.

Presidency
36th, 1963–1969
Party
Democratic
Lived
1908–1973
Scored on
10 of 12 axes

Strongest documented leanings

  1. Progressive82%
  2. Unitary80%
  3. Militarist75%
Where L. Johnson stood on the twelve axes
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Where L. Johnson stood on the twelve axes

Each bar is one axis, between its two poles. Only axes with a documented position are scored; the others are shown as faint stubs on the icon and listed below, never as neutral.

Based on the Great Society legislation and his Vietnam decisions. His record points in opposite directions on war powers and civil liberties, so those axes sit near the middle.

  • Federal vs UnitaryUnitary 80%
    FederalUnitary

    The Civil Rights Act of 2 July 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 6 August 1965 put federal law over state segregation and voter-registration rules.

  • Democratic vs AutocraticDemocratic 65%
    DemocraticAutocratic

    The Voting Rights Act widened the franchise, but the Tonkin Gulf Resolution of 7 August 1964 stood in for a declaration of war as he escalated in Vietnam.

  • Security vs FreedomFreedom 50%
    SecurityFreedom

    Signed the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, and in 1968 the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act, which authorised some wiretapping, after considering a veto.

  • Nationalism vs InternationalismNationalism 55%
    NationalismInternationalism

    Sent more than 20,000 Marines to the Dominican Republic in 1965, but signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in July 1968.

  • Militarist vs PacifistMilitarist 75%
    MilitaristPacifist

    Began the Rolling Thunder bombing in February 1965 and landed Marines at Da Nang on 8 March; US troops in Vietnam rose from about 16,000 in 1963 to over 500,000 in 1968.

  • Assimilationist vs MulticulturalistMulticulturalist 75%
    AssimilationistMulticulturalist

    Signed the Immigration and Nationality Act on 3 October 1965 at the foot of the Statue of Liberty, ending the national-origins quota system.

  • Collectivize vs PrivatizeCollectivize 75%
    CollectivizePrivatize

    Signed Medicare and Medicaid on 30 July 1965 and the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964, while also signing the 1964 income-tax cut.

  • Planned vs Laissez-fairePlanned 70%
    PlannedLaissez-faire

    Signed the Water Quality Act and the Motor Vehicle Air Pollution Control Act of 1965 and the Air Quality Act of 1967, but pursued growth through the 1964 tax cut.

  • Isolationism vs GlobalismGlobalism 62%
    IsolationismGlobalism

    The Kennedy Round, concluded on 30 June 1967, cut US tariffs by an average of about 35%.

  • Progressive vs TraditionalProgressive 82%
    ProgressiveTraditional

    The Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Great Society programmes and the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967.

No documented position, so not scored: Irreligious vs Religious and Acceleration vs Bioconservative.

What shaped the scores

Dated actions from the record. Each is tied to the axis it informs.

  1. Johnson signs the Revenue Act, which cuts the top income tax rate from 91% to 70%.

    Collectivize vs Privatize

    Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson · Wikipedia

  2. He signs the Civil Rights Act after the Senate passes it 73–27.

    Federal vs Unitary

    Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson · Wikipedia

  3. Congress passes the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution, which authorises force in Southeast Asia.

    Democratic vs Autocratic

    Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson · Wikipedia

  4. Two Marine battalions, about 3,500 troops, land near Da Nang.

    Militarist vs Pacifist

    Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson · Wikipedia

  5. He signs the Social Security Amendments that create Medicare and Medicaid.

    Collectivize vs Privatize

    Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson · Wikipedia

  6. He signs the Immigration and Nationality Act at the foot of the Statue of Liberty, ending the national-origins quota system.

    Assimilationist vs Multiculturalist

    Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 · Wikipedia

L. Johnson compared with other presidents

Measured on the axes both presidents are scored on, with the same rules as the quiz.

Most like

Least like

Questions about Lyndon B. Johnson’s politics

The president who signed the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, Medicare and Medicaid, and who also escalated the Vietnam War. On our twelve axes, the strongest documented leanings are Progressive 82%, Unitary 80%, Militarist 75%.

Those labels changed meaning over time, so this site describes L. Johnson on twelve axes instead. On the economy, L. Johnson’s record leans toward government action and public provision. On social questions it leans progressive. The scores above give the evidence behind each axis.

Lyndon B. Johnson was a Democrat. L. Johnson was the 36th president, serving 1963–1969.

On the axes they are both scored on, L. Johnson is closest to Harry S. Truman, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln and furthest from Andrew Jackson, Ronald Reagan, Calvin Coolidge.

Yes. He signed the Civil Rights Act on 2 July 1964, after it passed the Senate 73–27 on 19 June, and the Voting Rights Act on 6 August 1965, five months after the Selma march of 7 March 1965.

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Sources and credits

Main source: Inaugural Address of Lyndon Baines Johnson · The Avalon Project

Also read

Portrait: Official White House portrait, 1964 · Public domain

Scores are editorial estimates from the public record, not measurements. A place on this site is not praise.

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