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In response to the Newark and Detroit riots, Johnson appointed the National Advisory Commission for Civil Disorder, headed by Illinois governor Otto Kerner. The Kerner Commission produced impressive and thoroughly liberal report on the riots, which became a national best seller.

National Advisory Commission for Civil Disorder really shed light on the underlying causes behind the riots that took place during the 1960’s to the American public. Many Americans were unaware of the root causes of the riots. These causes typically were over unjust police practices, unemployment and the housing segregation. The Commission recommended job creation, rebuilding inner cities and giving additional funding to educational institutions in order to defuse and prevent further riots. Generally, these ideas were what the Johnson administration had in mind when talking about “The Great Society” however few were actually applied. After the reports were published, Johnson rejected the suggestions because he didn’t see the political basis for applying them and didn’t have funding to put them in place due to the rising costs of the Vietnam War.