American Presidents During My Lifetime: Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon (with Suggested Reading)

POTUS Dots from Eisenhower to Kennedy to ...

• Will have to combine these next two POTUS Dots. Not a lot to extract by way of recollection for one of them.

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36th POTUS, Lyndon Johnson (1963 – 1969)
 
As Vice-President for John F. Kennedy, he had to step into the shoes of the slain President and pick up where he left off, continuing to move America forward. My memories of this administration are dominated by public protests against the Vietnam War and by a lot of really good music from that time period, with song lyrics inspired by the day's significant political issues. Want to hear the songs of that generation? Just listen to some of the background music for the movie Forrest Gump, which starred Tom Hanks.
 
Of course, my memories include the Civil Rights Movement . It's a perfect day to highlight this important milestone in America's history because the date of this post, January 18, 2016, is also being celebrated as MLK Day, the birthday of Martin Luther King, a notable Civil Rights activist. 

• President Lyndon Johnson shakes hands with Dr. King after the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. | History.com

• A Beautiful Dream - Martin Luther King (1929 - 1968) | medium.com

• SUGGESTED READING: If you want to understand Lyndon B. Johnson in all his complexity, the best book to start with is The Path to Power: The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert A. Caro. But it isn’t one book. It's a multi-volume biography, and it’s widely regarded by historians and reviewers as one of the greatest political biographies ever written. Caro’s work is known for its depth, storytelling, and meticulous research.

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37th POTUS, Richard Nixon (1969 – 1974)  

The Watergate Scandal and Spiro WHO? Remember, people, saying that about the man Nixon chose to serve with him as Vice-President. Spiro T. Agnew. One would think that with a name like that, a person would try to do something more memorable than avoid paying their income taxes. At any rate, Gerald Ford was chosen to take Agnew's place as VEEP, and still people kept asking: WHO?? Seems nobody knew him either! (O.o)

See related and more detailed blog post on Nixon.

Nixon Dots on My Timeline (An Opinion Piece) (archived copy)

• SUGGESTED READING:  If you want Nixon’s own voice, go with RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon. It offers insight into how he understood his own decisions and is naturally selective, but invaluable for a firsthand perspective.

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My original content first published via Persona Paper, Jan 18, 2016, "POTUS Dots on My Timeline: Johnson and Nixon".

Accidental Presidents: Eight Men Who Changed America ~ https://t.co/NAVIkFiE8g via @amazon #books #reading #readinglists #Americanpresidents #Americanhistory pic.twitter.com/RHfNTBLxHk

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