Johnson: Savior of the Civil Rights Movement? The Civil Rights Movement and President Johnson are closely linked in history. While there were many other faces of the civil rights movement, Johnson's was one of the most seen by the public and instrumental in its demise. It was Johnson who shouldered the burden and responsibility of the issue after JFK's assassination, and it was he who signed it. Lyndon B Johnson was the most influential force in creating the movement that would grant civil rights to black Americans. Johnson was a constant and unwavering supporter of civil rights. Without his supreme efforts in ensuring civil rights for all, equality would never have happened. Lyndon B Johnson was elected President on November 22, 1963 soon after the assassination of John F Kennedy, “the elevation of Lyndon B Johnson to the office of the President of the United States was remarkably uneventful” (Robert E. Gilbert, 761). Before his election, Johnson worked closely with the U.S. government as a member of Congress, in the U.S. Navy, and as a U.S. Senator. From his first political office to his last, Johnson had one goal: to transform America into a "Great Society." It was through this idealistic philosophy that he became invested in the civil rights movement. Lyndon B Johnson's role in the civil rights movement was critical to its success; Johnson demonstrated his devotion to people and their rights when he stated: "The Great Society is based on abundance and freedom for all. It requires an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. But this is just the beginning” (Government Printing Office, pp. 635-640). Johnson wanted nothing more than to see the movement, in which so many were fighting for… middle of paper… in government, most importantly His powerful position was that of President of the United States, and his most powerful act, the Civil Rights Act, Johnson confirmed the country's progress in his speech at Howard University when he said, “Thus we saw the High Court of the country declare that discrimination based on race was repugnant to the Constitution, and therefore void. We saw in 1957, and in 1960, and again in 1964, the first civil rights legislation in this Nation in almost an entire century.” he was determined to become an influential individual and make a difference in the world. He said, "No act of my entire administration will give me greater satisfaction than the day when my signature also makes this bill the law of this land," and he meant it. Through the Civil Rights Act Johnson was able to do just that.