1. The New Frontier and the Great Society
Unit 11

3. 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

4. Camelot

5. 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

6. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

18. 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

19. The Johnson Treatment

20. 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

21. Electoral College Map 1964 Election

22. 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

23. 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