The New Frontier and the Great Society Unit 11

Lecture 2: JFK and LBJ The Election of 1960 The Kennedy Mystique Campaign Issues Boost the economy Stop the forces of communism JFK wanted to close the missile gap between U.S. and the Soviet Union Religious Intolerance Protestant Americans were worried about electing JFK, a Catholic Role of Media First election with televised debates Altered the outcome of the election The Kennedy Mystique Inauguration “The torch has been passed to a new generation” “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country” Americans fell in love with the youthful charisma of JFK and his family

Camelot

C. JFK’s Domestic Programs New Frontier Agenda $ aid to education Government health insurance for the elderly Create a Department of Urban Affairs to help the poor Help migrant workers Promote women’s rights JFK vs. Congress Congress did not like JFK and rarely supported his New Frontier agenda Congress did invest in defense and space exploration, raised the minimum wage, passed an equal pay act for women and provided funds for building new low-income housing

D. The Supreme Court in the 1960s Chief Justice Earl Warren Took a strong stance on controversial national issues Prayer in public schools Rights of the accused (due process) Right to privacy Redrawing of congressional districts for equal representation

E. Global Cold War Challenges “Flexible Response” JFK believed that Eisenhower had relied too heavily on nuclear weapons Wanted to have more military flexibility then nuclear weapons allowed Re-built up conventional forces and expanded special forces Alliance for Progress U.S. funded aid projects with Latin American nations to promote economic development Goal was to prevent communism in Latin America U.S. gave $20 billion over a 10 year period

Peace Corps Space Race JFK started program to fight poverty in less developed nations Sent young college graduates to do humanitarian work in countries that requested help Space Race Soviets successfully orbited around the earth in 1961 JFK’s new goal became beating the Soviets to the moon Major spending on NASA to win the Space Race July 20, 1969 American astronauts landed on the moon

F. Crises of the Cold War Bay of Pigs Invasion (April 1961) President Eisenhower authorized the CIA to begin planning an invasion of Cuba and the overthrow of Castro JFK agreed to the operation once in office Invasion failed and 1400 men were either captured or killed by Castro’s forces U.S. perceived as weak and JFK took personal responsibility for the failure

2. Berlin Wall (June 1961) Khrushchev demanded that western powers withdraw from West Berlin, JFK refused and reconfirmed his commitment to West Berlin Khrushchev responded by building a wall through Berlin to prevent East Germans from escaping to West Berlin The Berlin Wall became the symbol of the Cold War

3. The Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962) U2 spy planes captured images of long-range Soviet missiles in Cuba JFK entered into secret negotiations with Khrushchev and placed a naval blockade on Cuba October 28, 1962 an agreement was reached; Soviet Union would remove their missiles from Cuba and the U.S. removed their missile from Turkey Closest the U.S. came to war with the Soviet Union Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was passed as a result Hotline was established between the White House and Kremlin

G. Death of a President Assassination in Dallas (Nov. 22, 1963) JFK went to Dallas, TX for political appearances JFK was shot twice during his motorcade in Dallas and was rushed to the hospital were he was later pronounced dead Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the assassination, but before he could be formerly charged he was shot and killed by Jack Ruby, a local nightclub owner Warren Commission (1964) Government commission to investigate JFK’s assassination After collecting and reviewing the evidence, the commission determined that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin Commission attempted to end conspiracy theories but created more questions that persist to this day

H. LBJ Takes Over 2. War on Poverty 1. Johnson’s Leadership Style Served for 26 years in Congress Used the “Johnson Treatment” to get things done 2. War on Poverty “Unfortunately, many Americans live on the outskirts of hope, some because of their poverty and some because of their color and all too many because of both.” LBJ declared an unconditional war on poverty in America By the summer of 1964 LBJ and Congress passed multiple programs to help alleviate poverty -Economic Opportunity Act created jobs -Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) coordinated new programs to help the poor -Youth Corps provided work study programs to help young adults acquire a HS or college diploma -Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA) put young people with skills to work in poor neighborhoods and rural areas to help people overcome poverty

The Johnson Treatment

3. Election of 1964 Democrats re-elected LBJ who had achieved major public approval in the few months he had been serving as president Republicans nominated Barry Goldwater who was an outspoken conservative and aggressive on use of nuclear weapons “Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!” LBJ won in a landslide election winning all but five states

Electoral College Map 1964 Election

I. Great Society Programs 1. Health and Welfare Medicare and Medicaid Child Nutrition Act 2. Education Elementary and Secondary Education Act Higher Education Act Head Start and Upward Bound CA Master Plan 3. Consumer and Environmental Protection Water Quality Act Clean Air Act

4. Legacy of the Great Society LBJ’s programs improved the lives of thousands of people Debate continues on how much the government should help people who are impoverished Ultimately, LBJ’s Great Society programs were dismantled by the escalation and increasing costs of fighting the Vietnam War