Johnson becomes President of the United States after the John F. Kennedy assassination , assisted and advised by his wife Lady Bird . Johnson enters the White House but soon must work on the passage of the Civil Rights Act . Martin Luther King Jr. pressures Johnson to pass the bill without amendments that would defang it ; Southern Democrats such as Richard Russell Jr. of Georgia oppose the bill so much that they may abandon the Democratic Party if the bill passes , and Republicans and Democrats on the fence offer amendments opposed by the liberals and the Civil Rights activists . At the same time , Johnson wants to declare a War on Poverty . The Gulf of Tonkin incident causes Johnson to ask Congress for a resolution endorsing a reprisal against North Vietnam , wary of being outflanked on the issue by the Republicans
John F. Kennedy assassination
Assassination of John F. Kennedy
All the Way (film)