FDR is known for bringing to the American public, the "New Deal." So too, LBJ is known as bringing to the American people in 1964-1965 his vision of the "Great Society," in which the objective was both to eliminate poverty and to eradicate racial injustice in America. While each of these programs were successful in some meaningful as well as lasting ways; they also, were disappointing as well. In particular, the Great Society as envisioned by President Johnson is not now and never has become that Great Society that America should really represent, especially for all those that have historically been disenfranchised, and are still disenfranchised, today.
For instance, incarceration rates per 100,000 adult citizens, began to skyrocket in the 1980s, so that never has such a high percentage of Americans been either incarcerated, or suffer from some form of constraint upon their freedom as today's citizens so suffer. It would be one thing, if such incarceration was fairly balanced between all races, but, in fact, as reported by journeys.dartmouth.edu, "In 1920, 35.2% of male prisoners were black, although they only made up 9.2% of the male population. In 2010, 53.6% of male prisoners were black, although they only made up 10.4% of the male population." This so signifies that despite whatever laws that have been passed to reduce or to ameliorate or to eliminate racial discrimination, that America still persists upon viewing and targeting blacks in a deliberate discriminating manner and thereupon criminalizing a large subsection of the black male population; so that the American incarceration rate for black males, hasn't actually gone down over recent decades, but rather is even higher today, then it was back when America was deliberately segregated in so many ways and forms.
Additionally, money matters in America, so that, in an age in which discrimination against those that are non-white is supposed to be have been completely eradicated, and in which educational systems are supposed to be integrated and fully equal, what we find is that as reported by qz.com, "… in 1953, four-fifths of white families made more than the typical black household. Now, closer to nine-tenths do." This signifies that the income of black households has not improved since the Great Society was passed into federal law, but rather has actually regressed. Further to the point, brookings.edu, tells us that "The median average white family in the U.S. has approximately $171,000 in net wealth, while the median African American family has approximately $17,000," which is proof positive, that whites clearly are still in the boss seat of money and wealth, especially over their counterparts that are black, even though and despite all the laws so passed since 1964, that in theory were meant to narrow the income and wealth gap between black and white, but in actuality have not made any headway, in actually doing so.
What the above signifies, is that within America, there is a controlling faction that is extremely skilled at holding onto their power and even aggrandizing unto itself even more power, so that, good laws and rights that are passed for the overall benefit of mankind and in particular to help the most vulnerable amongst us, are successfully circumvented by those powers, time and time again. This means, that good laws and good intentions are not good enough to effect and to actuate change. Rather, the only conceivable way to help even an historical score that has been unfair since its inception, is to tax those entities that have the money in a manner in which they cannot escape such taxation. So too, the only way to resolve systemic incarceration practices that unfairly target minorities and the impoverished is to eradicate such, by far less incarceration and with far more social programs that provide meaningful help, aid, remediation, and direction to those that most need such.
If America, truly wants a better world for all Americans, it needs to do a far more efficient job of taking from the ultra rich and giving to the poor; while also providing fair liberty, justice, and opportunity for all.