19.2 Kennedy’s New Frontier Mrs. Stoffl

The Kennedy Style President Kennedy’s charisma greatly appealed to the American ppl JFK was always displayed in photos as active/physical. ◦ Even though he had Addison’s disease ◦ Constant pain, he would fatigue easily

Jackie O JFK’s presidency represented American hope for the future The First Lady also had tremendous charisma

Camelot

The New Frontier The New Frontier: ◦ The phrase used to describe JFK’s proposals to improve the economy, education, healthcare, civil rights and the space program.

Kennedy’s Domestic Program Early in JFK’s presidency: ◦ Bay of Pigs ◦ Cuban Missile Crisis BUT by 1963 he was able to focus on more domestic issues: ◦ Increased the minimum wage, extended Social Security, improved the welfare system ◦ Equal Pay Act to help women achieve “equal pay for equal work” in commerce industries

Stimulating a Sluggish Economy Kennedy believed that creating prosperity in the nation would also help w/ some of the social problems ∴ ◦ He proposed tax credits to businesses looking to expand + buy new equipment ◦ Increased military spending to create new jobs

Stimulating a Sluggish Economy JFK also accepted the “new economics” theory of John Maynard Keynes: ◦ Stated that deficit spending (borrowing more $ than will be received in taxes) will help to boost the economy ◦ ∴ he cut taxes for the middle class ◦ Increased taxes on wealthy Helped to boost the 1960s economy.

Moving Cautiously on Civil Rights JFK did not want to anger the strongly conservative Congress ◦ Especially since he narrowly won the 1960 election + knew post wouldn’t pass anyway JFK introduced a civil rights bill in support of voting rights ◦ + w/drew federal $ from schools resisting desegregation Increased violence in the South encouraged JFK to push for stronger civil rights legislation.

“The Moon Shot” Kennedy gives NASA and the US a mission with his “moon shot” speech in Invigorates NASA and stimulates interest in science in the US.

Racing Into Space JFK understood that U.S. was in a space race w/ the S.U. ◦ Space race:  Term used to describe the competition b/w the two countries to develop technology to successfully land on the moon. Russian Yuri Gagarin: First person in space – April 1961 May 1961: ◦ Project Mercury: NASA put Alan Shepard into a suborbital space flight aboard Freedom 7 space capsule February 1962: ◦ John Glenn became first American to orbit Earth

Racing Into Space Apollo 1 – 1967 ◦ 3 U.S. astronauts (Virgil Grissom, Edward White, and Roger Chaffee) were killed during a routine test of their capsule. July 1969: ◦ Neil Armstrong lands on the Moon!  We won the space race! 

The President Is Assassinated President Kennedy transformed during his 2 ½ years in office + had many great achievements ◦ Confronted the Soviets + put the U.S. ahead in the Cold War ◦ Determined the federal gov’t had to take a strong stand in support of civil rights In November, 1963 he went to Dallas, TX on a reelection campaign

Dallas – November 22, 1963 President John F. Kennedy First Lady Jackie Kennedy Texas Governor John Connally First Lady of Texas Nellie Connally

The President Is Assassinated While in his car, he was shot by sniper, Lee Harvey Oswald ◦ On 6 th floor of a School Book Depository ◦ Fired 3 shots  3 rd one hit Kennedy in the back of the head  Lyndon B. Johnson (JFK’s VP) becomes president. Many believe Oswald did not act alone… The American people were devastated and in disbelief.

The Warren Commission Determined there were 3 shots and the Lee Oswald was the sole assassin/ “lone killer”… ◦ Has led to many chilling conspiracy theories.