Final answer:
The Great Society was an initiative by President Lyndon B. Johnson aiming to reduce poverty and racial inequality through domestic programs. It included significant measures such as the 1965 Housing and Urban Development Act, Medicare and Medicaid, and improved access to education.
Step-by-step explanation:
The Great Society was a series of domestic programs initiated by President Lyndon B. Johnson with the goal of eradicating poverty and racial inequality. Answering the student's multiple-choice question, c) The Great Society was a social program aimed at reducing poverty and inequality is the correct option. Through this initiative, Johnson sought to transform the United States into a Great Society where every individual could participate in the prosperity of the nation, and where 'liberty and justice for all' had real significance.
Johnson considered the war on poverty core to his presidency, embarking on sweeping reforms like the 1965 Housing and Urban Development Act, which provided grants for city housing and subsidized rents for the poor. Moreover, the Great Society included the creation of Medicare and Medicaid, expansion of Social Security benefits, and increased federal funding for education, thereby enabling greater access to college education and improving the overall welfare of Americans.
Though the Great Society faced criticism for potentially increasing dependency on government aid and raising national debt, its efforts nonetheless significantly reduced poverty levels and improved civil rights during Johnson's administration.