1. Chapter 24: The New Frontier and The Great Society Section 1: The New Frontier

2. The Election of 1960 The 1960 presidential election began the era of television politics. ▫Voters began using this medium as a voting tool. The Democrat: ▫John F. Kennedy  A wealthy Catholic from MA. The Republican: ▫Richard Nixon  A Quaker from a financially struggling family.

3. During the campaign Democrats spent over $6 million in TV and radio ads, while Republicans spent over $7.5 million. Two main focuses of the campaign: ▫The economy ▫The Cold War Kennedy felt that the U.S. faced a threat from the Soviets because we were behind the Soviets in weaponry. ▫Nixon believed that the Republican administration was on the right track with its foreign policy. Kennedy would win the election in one the closest races in American history.

5. The Kennedy Mystique What did Kennedy offer? ▫Youth ▫Optimism ▫Charisma He told Americans during his inaugural address “ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” Kennedy was the 1 st president to broadcast his press conferences live on TV.

6. Success and Setback on the Domestic Front The New Frontier- ▫Kennedy hoped to increase:  Aid to education  Provide health insurance to the elderly  Create a Department of Urban Affairs  Help migrant workers ▫Kennedy was unsuccessful in pushing through many of his domestic programs.  Many Republicans and conservative Southern Democrats felt the New Frontier was too costly.

7. Kennedy advocated the New Deal strategy of deficit spending that had been implemented during FDR’s presidency. Congress was convinced to invest more funds for defense and space exploration to create jobs and encourage economic growth. Kennedy and the Women’s Movement: ▫JFK helped the women’s movement by creating a Presidential Commission on the Status of Women.  This called for federal action against gender discrimination and affirming the right of women to equally paid employment.

8. Warren Court Reforms Chief Justice Earl Warren and his court took on a much more activist tone, which helped to shape national policy. ▫The Warren Court took stands on:  The Civil Rights Movement  Freedom of the Press  Separation of Church and State  The rights of the accused.

9. One of the biggest issues for the court was reapportionment. ▫The way in which states draw up political districts based on changes in population. The Warren Court decided on the principle of “one man, one vote,” which required state legislatures to reapportion electoral districts so that all citizens’ votes would have equal weight.

10. During the 1960s, the Supreme Court used the 14 th Amendment to apply to the Bill of Rights to the states. ▫Due Process required that the law not treat an individual unfairly, arbitrarily, or unreasonably, and the court must follow proper procedures and rules when trying a case. Separation of Church and State was resolved with the court ruling that states could not compose official prayers and require prayer in public schools.

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12. Kennedy Confronts Global Challenges JFK focused much of his time on foreign policy as the nation’s rivalry with the USSR deepened. JFK attempted to curb communism and reduce the threat of nuclear war. Unlike Eisenhower, Kennedy supported a “flexible response.” ▫He asked for a build up of conventional troops and weapons  This was costly but allowed the U.S. to fight a limited style of warfare. ▫JFK also supported the Special Forces- a small army unit established in the 1950s to wage guerrilla warfare.

13. Alliance for Progress An attempt to improve U.S. and Latin American relations. It is a series of cooperative aid projects with Latin American governments. ▫Over a 10 year period, $20 Billion was promised to Latin America. ▫In Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, and Central America republics, real reform took place. ▫In other countries, the governing rulers used the money to remain in power.

14. Peace Corps Created to help less developed nations fight poverty, training young Americans to spend two years assisting in a country. The Peace Corps is still active today and has become one of JFK’ s most important and withstanding legacies. Space Race- ▫Both the U.S. and the USSR began hoping to dominate space to enhance their positions on Earth. ▫JFK wanted Americans to be the first to reach the moon and he pushed Congress to make it a reality.

15. The Cold War in Space Sputnik- ▫The 1 st satellite launched into space by the USSR in 1957. ▫JFK worried that the Soviet success in space might convince people that communism is than capitalism. Yury Gagarin- ▫Became the first person to orbit the Earth in 1961.  6 weeks after JFK gave went before Congress and gave a speech telling the nation that we will land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. John Glenn- ▫In 1962, Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. July 1969 Apollo 11 Mission- ▫Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin, and Michael Collins landed on the moon.  “The Eagle has landed” Armstrong became the first human to walk on the moon.

17. Crises of the Cold War Fidel Castro and Cuba began forming an alliance with the Soviets and its leader, Nikita Khrushchev. During the Eisenhower presidency, the CIA had secretly trained and armed Cuban exiles known as La Brigada. JFK’s advisers approved a plan to invade Cuba using La Brigada.

18. Bay of Pigs On April 17, 1961 1,400 armed Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs on the south coast of Cuba. Disaster struck as JFK cancelled air support for the exiles in order to keep the U.S. involvement a secret. Most of the La Brigada were either killed or captured by Castro’s army.

20. The Berlin Wall After meeting the Soviet leader Khrushchev, JFK refused to recognize East Germany or to have the U.S. withdraw from Berlin. Khrushchev retaliated by constructing a wall through Berlin, stopping movement between the Soviet sector and the rest of the city. ▫For the next 30 years, the Berlin Wall symbolized the Cold War division between East and West.

23. The Cuban Missile Crisis During the summer of 1962, American intelligence agencies discovered that Soviet technicians and equipment had arrived in Cuba and that military construction was in progress. Photographs proved that the Soviets had placed long- range missile in Cuba. JFK ordered it stopped but work continued on the site.

26. Nuclear holocaust was feared but neither JFK nor Khrushchev wanted WWIII. JFK agreed not to invade Cuba and to remove the missiles in Turkey. The Soviets agreed to remove missiles in Cuba. The Cuban missile crisis was the closest the world came to a nuclear war. ▫This is also known as the 13 Days.

27. Both sides agreed to work out a plan to ease tension. ▫In 1963 both sides agreed to a treaty banning the testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere. ▫The missile crisis led to the demise of Khrushchev and the new Soviet leadership was less interested in reaching agreements with the West. ▫The result was a huge Soviet arms buildup.

28. The Death of a President On November 22, 1963 while riding in a presidential motorcade in Dallas, Texas, JFK was shot twice. ▫He was pronounced dead shortly after. Lee Harvey Oswald, a Marxist, was accused of killing Kennedy. ▫Oswald was shot a killed two days later by Jack Ruby.  It was suspected that Ruby killed Oswald to protect others involved in the murder.

30. The Warren Commission Chief Justice Warren concluded with his report that Oswald was the lone gunman. The report of the Warren Commission left a few questions unanswered and conspiracy theories have persisted. JFK successor, Lyndon B. Johnson, continued to promote many of JFK’s programs.

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32. Johnson take the Reins LBJ took office during what seemed like a prosperous time for the United States. ▫In reality, if you moved away from the nation’s affluent suburbs, there were some 50 million poor people. ▫JFK and LBJ made the elimination of poverty a major policy goal and promised to devote national resources to reduce human suffering. LBJ was a Texan who spoke directly and roughly at times. He sought ways to find consensus. ▫His ability to build coalitions made him one of the most effective and powerful leaders in Senate history.

33. War on Poverty Johnson declared that his administration was waging an unconditional war on poverty in America. In August 1964, Congress created the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) ▫Focused on creating jobs and fighting poverty. The Election of 1964: ▫Democrat candidate= Lyndon Johnson ▫Republican candidate= Barry Goldwater  Americans were not ready for Goldwater’s aggressive message and Johnson won in a landslide.

34. The Great Society LBJ promised a Great Society during his campaign. ▫It was a vision of a more perfect, more equitable society. Between 1965 and 1968, over 60 programs were passed. ▫Including Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare is a health insurance program for the elderly funded through Social Security. Medicaid is financed health care for those on welfare or living below the poverty line.

35. Education Reforms Head Start Program- ▫Preschool program administered to disadvantaged children. VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America)- ▫Was a domestic version of the Peace Corps. ▫VISTA put young people to work in poor school districts.

36. Johnson urged Congress to act on legislation that would deal with the deterioration in inner cities. The Department of Housing and Urban Development- ▫Passed in 1965 ▫Its first secretary was Robert Weaver.  The first African American to serve in a cabinet. ▫“Model Cities” was a broad-based program with matching funds from local and state agencies, that supported programs in the areas of transportation, health care, housing, and policing.

37. Immigration Reform Act of 1965- ▫Played a key role in changing the composition of the American population. ▫It kept a strict limit on the number of immigrants admitted to the U.S. each year. ▫It eliminated the national origins system.  The system that favored northern European people. ▫Immigrants arrived in the U.S. from all parts of Europe and from Asia and Africa.

39. Legacy of the Great Society The impact of the Great Society was felt by all aspects of American life and improved many lives. Some Americans opposed the massive growth of federal funds and criticized the Great Society for intruding too much in their lives. There is a continued debate over the success of the Great Society. ▫It did result in many Americans asking questions, questions Americans continue to ask today.