Johnson's vision of a Great Society

Forty-five years ago President Lyndon B. Johnson delivered the State of the Union address in which he described the legislative action needed to make turn his vision of a “Great Society” into a reality. While world events created diversions from those efforts, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum features a host of digital resources that speak to Johnson’s efforts in the fight for Civil Rights and the War of Poverty.

In this collection you will find the text of Johnson’s Dec. 4, 1965 State of the Union address as well as remarks made upon the signing of the Voting Rights Act, the Medicare Bill and the Elementary and Secondary Education Bill, successes of his administration that were overshadowed by the escalating war in Vietnam.

In addition to the texts of selected speeches and addresses, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum also provides access to the President's daily diary and a photo archive.

The image at right is of a portrait of President Johnson painted in 1967 by artist Peter Hurd. It comes from the National Portrait Gallery.

Lena Horne, 92, champion for racial and social justice

Lena Horne, the legendary entertainer, died Sunday at the age of 92. Born in New York, she began her career on stage at Harlem’s Cotton Club. She would later go on to become a Hollywood star, a celebrated state actress, a renowned jazz singer and a champion for racial and social justice. Above right is a picture taken of Ms. Horne at the 1943 launching of the SS George Washington Carver. That image comes from the New York Public Library’s Digital Gallery. Below that is an image of Ms. Horne at the 1963 March on Washington. That photograph comes from the National Archives and Records Administration. Last February, the House of Representatives passed a resolution honoring her body of work and praising her for using her celebrity as a catalyst for change. You can read that resolution at Thomas, the Library of Congress’s site for digitized legislative information.

Malcom X's killer paroled

Thomas Hagan, the only man to admit shooting Malcolm X, was released on parole Tuesday, 45 years after the civil rights leader was slain. The Malcolm X Project at Columbia University features a collection of digital media items that create a portrait of Malcolm X’s life and lasting impact. Among the items you’ll find there are interviews with Malcolm X’s contemporaries, news reports detailing his life’s work and describing his assassination, F.B.I. agents’ reports of their investigation of the slaying and sound recordings of Malcolm X's speeches. The photograph of Malcolm X at left comes from the Library of Congress.