The Kennedy and Johnson Years Chapter 22 The Kennedy and Johnson Years

Section 1 The New Frontier

1960 election JFK vs. Nixon Kennedy Democrat Young/ 43 yrs old Catholic 14 yrs experience in House of Rep, but w/o major role U.S. Navy WWII Nixon Republican Experienced; VP under Eisenhower; U.S. Navy; lieutenant commander in Pacific Senator from California Major role in Alger Hiss investigation

Kennedy’s campaign Kennedy promised to “get America moving again” and spur the sluggish economy Used the media to his advantage

Kennedy-Nixon debates Nixon believed that he would slaughter Kennedy in the debates because he was skilled in foreign policy Kennedy looked good! He used TV to his advantage Radio listeners thought that Nixon won; TV viewers thought JFK won.

Kennedy arrived to debates rested and tan Kennedy arrived to debates rested and tan. He felt comfortable in front of camera. Nixon was pasty white and tried to cover “five o’clock shadow” with makeup stick called “Lazy Shave”. When he sweated in front of the tv lights, the make up ran down his face.

Kennedy wins, but lacks a mandate. JFK had courted the black vote, so he chose LBJ, a powerful Senator from Texas, to balance the ticket.

The New Frontier JFK’s domestic program Proposed tax cut to end economic slump- plan got stuck in Congress (lacked mandate, remember?) After publication of The Other America, by Michael Herrington, proposed plan to give federal education and medical aid- both failed in Congress Senior citizens at Welfare Department, New York City 1960.

JFK - more domestic policy Increased minimum wage 24th amendment- outlawed poll tax Equal Pay Act – equal pay for equal work Housing Act 1961 – urban renewal for slum areas

The Space Program goal to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade

Kennedy’s goal of landing a man on the moon was reached on July 20, 1969. He would not be alive to see it. Neil Armstrong – first man to land on the moon

Kennedy Assassinated November 22, 1963 JFK and John Connally were shot by Lee Harvey Oswald while riding in an open car in a Dallas motorcade. Connally recovered; JFK mortally wounded.

Lee Harvey Oswald killed by Jack Ruby

Warren Commission The Warren Commission finds that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin and acted alone.

Section 2 The Great Society

Lyndon Baines Johnson sworn in as President.

The Great Society LBJ’s domestic policy agenda Poverty, education, healthcare, voting rights, conservation, urban renewal, economic development Used legacy of JFK to push through his Civil Rights Act of 1964.

LBJ’s War on Poverty Economic Opportunity Act- designed to combat illiteracy, and unemployment; gave $950 million dollars for projects Head Start –preschool program for healthcare, nutrition, and social services VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America)- sent people to help in poor communities

Medicaid and Medicare Medicare –hospital and low-cost medical insurance to Americans 65 and older Medicaid –provides low-cost health insurance coverage to poor Americans of any age who cannot afford it

Warren Court- Chief Justice Earl Warren Increased the rights of those accused of a crime

Warren Court- “One man, one vote” Apportionment –seats in the legislature must be equally divided among the electoral districts; designed to fix the problem of rural areas receiving more representation in the legislature

Johnson accomplished many things, but the war in Vietnam would cost him funding for his Great Society programs.

Foreign Policy in the Early 1960s Section 3 Foreign Policy in the Early 1960s

Bay of Pigs Invasion April 17, 1961 John F. Kennedy followed a CIA plan from Eisenhower’s administration to overthrow Castro using American trained Cuban rebels Fidel Castro is communist.

Bay of Pigs=failure U.S. Air Force failed to take out Cuba’s air force Castro’s troops easily defeated 1,500 U.S. supported rebels JFK refused to use American planes to support invaders

Results of Failure of Bay of Pigs Loose respect in Latin America JFK looks inexperienced and incompetent –remember this was what he was accused of in the election

Berlin Crisis Soviets wish to stop the large number of East Germans that were escaping to West Germany through Berlin (doctors, teachers, industrial workers, etc) Soviets built the Berlin Wall – this became a symbol of the Cold War

Cuban Missile Crisis Soviets were building missile bases in Cuba, 90 miles off coast of U.S. Kennedy used a naval quarantine around Cuba to deter the operation and placed the American military on full alert with bombers armed with nuclear weapons

Cuban Missile Crisis resolved Soviet Union would remove missiles if Kennedy promised to end quarantine and stay out of Cuba The Soviet Union also demanded that the U.S. remove missiles from Turkey

Limited Test Ban Treaty Banned nuclear testing above ground

JFK’s Alliance for Progress $20 billion dollars to Latin America over ten years to improve the basic needs of people living there and to prevent revolution

JFK’s Peace Corps Sent volunteers to foreign countries in peace to help with education, health care, construction, etc. Designed to improve the standard of living in poor countries

Lyndon Johnson’s involvement in Vietnam Wanted to prevent the spread of communism for North Vietnam into South Vietnam By 1963 sent 16,000 military advisors to South Vietnam Gave economic aid to South Vietnam Involvement in Vietnam took funding away from Great Society programs