Dive into the history of America's 36th President with this incredible short documentary! Uncover the powerful connection between Lyndon B. Johnson's lasting legacy and the Texas land that forged his character.
Beautifully crafted by Klein Villarreal for the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, this visual journey is brought to life by the captivating voice of three-time Emmy® nominee, Robert Walden.
Grab a quick cup of coffee and step back in time with us!
Film Details:
* Runtime: 14 minutes, 30 seconds * Brought to you by: NPS / Klein Villarreal * Originally Released: April 2022
Hall of the Mountain King by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Transcript
This transcript was generated automatically from the video's captions and may contain errors.
I want to be the president who educated young children to the wonders of their work, who helped to feed the hungry. I want to be the president who helped the poor to find their own way and who protected the right of every citizen to vote in every election. Lyndon Johnson. The LBJ ranch was more than a presidential. It was home in every sense of the word. And this home in the heart of the Texas Hill country served as a constant reminder of who he was and where he came. At dawn, On August 27th, 1908 in a small farmhouse here in Pedernales River, Lyndon Baines Johnson was born. Her parents Sam and Rebecca Johnson. Even in his youth, Lyndon was a people, grimming with ambition. He learned to read by age four and was often found in the schoolhouse learning alongside the older children.
His mother, Rebecca Dance Johnson, one of the few college educated women in the area, instilled in him the value of education. While his father coached him on the political facts, Sam Johnson served 12 years a state legislator. Wanting to make, Lyndon became a segregated Mexican American school in Cotulla, Texas. He saw firsthand how his students face discrimination and poverty. Lyndon Johnson spent a lifetime building on these foundations. In 1934, a friend introduced Lyndon to Claudia Alta “Lady Bird” Taylor. She was 21 years old and a recent graduate of the University of Texas. Following a whirlwind of courtship, they matter and together they formed a dynamic partnership. They complimented each other. Uh she was soft, gentle, he was bombastic, impromptu.
It made a wonderful combination for public life. In 1937, Lyndon launched his political career from the porch of his boyhood home in Johnson City, announcing his candidacy for the US House of Representatives. His tireless campaigning won him the office. He moved on to the US Senate in 1949. To signify his status as a politician on the rise, Johnson yearned for a place in the country. In 1951, the Johnson's acquired what the family called the big house on the river, the home of his aunt Frank Martin. Aunt Frank had told Lyndon that uh she wish he'd come by and talk to her about the possibility of his uh buying the place. It was dubbed the LBJ Ranch after its new occupants, Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson and daughters, Lynda Bird and Luci Baines.
Even their dog was named Little Beagle Johnson. It was a place the Johnson family could call home and entertain guests. As Lyndon Johnson climbed the political ladder, the Johnson's home was pulled further into the public spotlight. The long hours and hard charging lifestyle of a career politician took its toll on the health of the Senate majority leader. In 1955, Lyndon Johnson returned to the Hill Country to recover from a massive heart attack that almost took his life. During his recuperation, he rested, played dominoes with friends, and swam in the new swimming pool that soon became a favorite for the Johnson's and their guests. Prior to joining John F. Kennedy as vice president in 1961. The Johnson's had added an office to the west end of their house, which filled Lyndon's growing need to work from his home at the ranch.
From Dallas, Texas, the Flash, apparently official, President Kennedy died at 1:00 p.m. Central Standard Time, roughly 2 hours after the tragic assassination of John F. Kennedy. With the president's casket on board and both Mrs. Johnson and Jacqueline Kennedy by his side, Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president of the United States aboard Air Force One at Love Field in Dallas. Today, in this moment of new resolve, I would say to all my fellow Americans, let us continue. One month after the assassination, the Johnson's flew home for the first time as the first family, and they were thrust into the spotlight as never before. Our family life in the first place was always a public life. My mother and father raised us with a sense of um uh don't do anything you don't want printed on the front page of the paper because I if um you do that's exactly where you can expect to find it.
During the presidential years the first family often returned to the ranch. Work always followed the president to the hill country and during his 5 years and two months in office President Johnson flew home 74 times totaling 490 days. and he saw it as just a haven of peace. He he loved it. He loved getting out and walking around the property. And you know, we always say that the best fertilizer is the footsteps of the owner. The Texas White House, as it was now known, had truly become a global crossroads. Cabinet meetings took place under the live oaks in front of the home. Bills were signed into law, press conferences were held, and heads of state from West Germany, Canada, Israel, and Mexico were entertained. For one quarter of his presidency, Lyndon Johnson governed the nation from this ranch.
Whoever was um in charge of the budget, they would come and stay and they would work night and day. the Washington shuttle, as we laughingly called it, a a plane from Washington would come down bringing uh a secretary of whatever department, McNamara of defense or uh Freeman of Agriculture or Udall of Interior. Joseph Califano, aid to President Johnson, recalled the effect the LBJ ranch had on the president. And he'd go to the ranch to refresh himself. It was like refueling a car. He drew from that ranch and from the land around it uh and the cattle that were on it a tremendous amount of energy. When you flew back on Monday morning, he was a different person. He was reborn again and ready to go again. But the presidency began to take its toll on Lyndon Johnson.
There was escalating domestic unrest throughout the country, a divisive war in Southeast Asia, the president's own failing health, and a desire to spend more time with his family. And in 1968, Lyndon Johnson shocked the nation with this announcement. Good evening, my fellow Americans. I shall not seek and I will not accept the nomination of my party for another term as your president. The answer is blowing in the wind. In January 1969, the Johnson's left the White House and returned home to the ranch to the place Lady Bird Johnson referred to as our heart's home. In keeping with their support of parks and public spaces, the former president and first lady donated part of their ranch, including the Texas White House, to the American people. Mr.
President, this is going to be the only national park in the system ever been personally planned by a president. I think that they had a deep commitment to the national park system. I think they had a deep sense of history and uh and I think they were very generous people. On January 22nd, 1973, a heart attack took Lyndon Johnson's life. No one could ever understand Lyndon Johnson unless they understood the land and the people from which he came. His roots were deep right here on this spot in the hill country. Lady Bird Johnson continued to reside in the home, spend time with her grandchildren and eventually with her great grandchildren, who all affectionately called her Nene. She remained very much in the public eye and continued to be an outspoken voice for environmental conservation and beautification of the nation's cities and highways.
Following the death of Mrs. Johnson in 2007, the National Park Service opened the Texas White House. Now park visitors can experience the home and better understand the complex relationship between the private family life and the very public world in which the Johnson's lived. It was the Johnson's desire that the ranch not become a sterile relic of the past. It remains a place where descendants of Lyndon Johnson's Hereford cattle still roam. And throughout the year, exciting public events welcome visitors from all over the world. Ultimately, it's a place to experience the land from which Lyndon Baines Johnson derived strength and comfort. During his 5 years as president, he signed into law more than 1,000 pieces of legislation. Luci Johnson says about her father, "His vision and values were shaped by the land he came from." From the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to the appointment of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Supreme Court justice.
From the Clean Air Act to the Higher Education Act, from the Voting Rights Act to the Public Broadcasting Act, President Johnson's belief in a more just society was firmly grounded in the place that always called him back. For President and Mrs. Johns. When they were here, surrounded by the ones they love, immersed in the landscape they knew so well, they knew they were home. I guess every person feels part of the place where he's born. He wants to go back to the surroundings that he knew as a child. And this is my country, the hill country of Texas. The moons are a little fuller here. The stars are a little brighter. And I don't know how to describe the feeling of other than I guess we all search at times for serenity. And it's serene here. And there's something about this section that brings new life and new hope and really a balanced and better viewpoint after you've been here a few days.
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