| Major Great Society Legislation | ||
| Civil Rights | ||
| 1964 | Twenty-fourth Amendment | Outlawed poll tax in federal elections |
| Civil Rights Act | Banned discrimination in employment and public accommodations on the basis of race, religion, sex, or national origin | |
| 1965 | Voting Rights Act | Outlawed literacy tests for voting; provided federal supervision of registration in historically low-registration areas |
| Social Welfare | ||
| 1964 | Economic Opportunity Act | Created Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) to administer War on Poverty programs such as Head Start, Job Corps, and Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) |
| 1965 | Medical Care Act | Provided medical care for the poor (Medicaid) and the elderly (Medicare) |
| 1966 | Minimum Wage Act | Raised hourly minimum wage from $1.25 to $1.40 and expanded coverage to new groups |
| Education | ||
| 1965 | Elementary and Secondary Education Act | Granted federal aid for education of poor children |
| National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities | Provided federal funding and support for artists and scholars | |
| Higher Education Act | Provided federal scholarships for postsecondary education | |
| Housing and Urban Development | ||
| 1964 | Urban Mass Transportation Act | Provided federal aid to urban mass transit |
| Omnibus Housing Act | Provided federal funds for public housing and rent subsidies for low-income families | |
| 1965 | Housing and Urban Development Act | Created Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) |
| 1966 | Metropolitan Area Redevelopment and Demonstration Cities Acts | Designated 150 “model cities” for combined programs of public housing, social services, and job training |
| Environment | ||
| 1964 | Wilderness Preservation Act | Designated 9.1 million acres of federal lands as “wilderness areas,” barring future roads, buildings, or commercial use |
| 1965 | Air and Water Quality Acts | Set tougher air quality standards; required states to enforce water quality standards for interstate waters |
| Miscellaneous | ||
| 1964 | Tax Reduction Act | Reduced personal and corporate income tax rates |
| 1965 | Immigration Act | Abandoned national quotas of 1924 law, allowing more non-European immigration |
| Appalachian Regional and Development Act | Provided federal funding for roads, health clinics, and other public works projects in economically depressed regions | |