University Honors

Abstract It is not the job of the President of the United States of America to make legislation, it is understood that this task is largely the job of the U.S. Senate. However, throughout American history, United States presidents have sought to influence this country by enacting laws that align with their views of the direction the country should take. After all, the president's vision for what they consider to be the right direction for the countryís well-being is what they tirelessly campaign and become elected on. This means that although U.S. Presidents have very limited constitutional power of legislation that gets enacted, somehow, their potential sway on the laws, and the socio-political direction that the country adopts is enormous. But, what strategies do they use to bring their vision to fruition? What tactics permit for someone who, by the rules, is seemingly powerless to make major changes? And more importantly, why are some presidents much more effective than others in having a tremendous success for transforming the trajectory of the country according to their ideals, while others remain mostly ineffective? In this research essay I will compare a couple strategies and tactics of Lyndon B. Johnson and John F. Kennedy to investigate what led these very different presidents of the 1960ís to have success, or lack thereof, in their agendas. In an effort to understand how they learn these tactics I will also introduce some aspects of Kennedy and Johnsonís personality, as well as their upbringings.