1. JFK

2. JFK- Mini Biography

3. J.F.K.
John F. Kennedy was the youngest person elected president (Age 43)
Lyndon Johnson, a senator from Texas, was his running mate because he could help bring in Southern votes and knew how to work well with Congress
Background
Born into a well-known political family.
Served honorably in WWII- saved an injured crew member after Japanese sank his PT boat.
1st Catholic elected president

4. 1st Televised Debate
Richard Nixon Kennedy’s Republican opponent, looked rough after a few days on the road campaigning. JFK looked young, refreshed, and handsome.
Radio listeners thought Nixon won debate; TV viewers thought Kennedy did
TV may have made the difference in a very tight race.
Kennedy later said “We wouldn’t have had a prayer without that gadget.”

5. During his inauguration address he famously said
“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”

6. Life in “Camelot”
Kennedy represented the forces of youth, change, and the belief that America’s best days were ahead.
His beautiful and fashionable wife, Jackie, and adorable kids were media sensations.
Jackie hosted fancy events at the White House and was adored both at home and abroad
TV footage showed him playing football with the family and representing the ideal family

7. Like any family, the reality did not always match up with the images on TV.
JFK was frequently unfaithful to Jackie, and despite his healthy appearance, he struggled with a medical condition he kept secret called Addison’s disease, which caused painful spinal problems

8. The New Frontier
Kennedy’s domestic program was called the “New Frontier” It included:
Economic aid to poor areas
Medical insurance for the elderly (Medicare)
Aid for college students
The goal of putting a man on the moon before the end of the decade.
Congress rejected many of his ideas, but did raise minimum wage and improve Social Security

9. JFK & FOREIGN ISSUES
Peace Corps- Program in which the “best & brightest” Americans would volunteer to serve 2 years in impoverished countries
Alliance for Progress $12 billion sent to Latin America to fund schools, housing, hospitals, clinics. Meant to help stem communism down there, but often the $ just ended up going into the hands of corrupt leaders.

10. Military
As far as the military, he continued the nuclear buildup, but strengthened conventional forces as well (a strategy known as flexible response)
He also established the Green Berets (army special forces)

11. The Berlin Wall
Soviets built it in 1961 to keep East Berliners from fleeing over to West Berlin.
It became a physical symbol of the division between the free and communist worlds and a symbol of the Cold War
It was also an attempt by Khrushchev to intimidate JFK. Khrushchev believed that Kennedy was weak and that he could bully the young president

12. Kennedy visited the wall in ’63 and showed his solidarity with the people of West Berlin by saying “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner)
By placing “ein” in front of Berliner, he unwittingly said he was a jelly doughnut (Berliners are also a type of pastry). Oops.

13. Review Questions Who did JFK defeat in the 1960 election?
What precedent did JFK set when elected?
What was the name of JFK’s package of programs?
Name the group that sends volunteers to impoverished countries for 2 years of service
What military group did JFK establish?
What happened in Berlin in 1961?

14. CUBA
In 1959, Fidel Castro (“The Energizer Bunny of Communism”) became Cuba’s leader. Much to our dismay, he quickly aligned himself with the Soviets.
Once in power, he seized U.S. property without compensating us for it. We broke off diplomatic relations as a result
Many Cubans fled the country any way they could as Castro’s repressive communist policies were put into place
Communism now had its first foothold in the western hemisphere, just 90 miles off our coast.

15. The Bay of Pigs Invasion
The C.I.A. plan to try to overthrow Castro.
They trained 1500 Cuban exiles to go back to Cuba and remove Castro from power.
It was a complete disaster. The fighters did not get the air support they had been promised and were killed or captured on the beaches by Castro’s superior forces. The Cuban people did not rise up to help them either.
This was a major embarrassment to the Kennedy administration

16. The Cuban Missile Crisis
In October of 1962, U.S. spy planes photographed ballistic missile launch sites in Cuba. The thought of Soviet nukes within striking distance of the eastern U.S. set off a frenzy of activity in D.C.
A dangerous game of political maneuvering followed, with Khrushchev and Castro testing what they could get away with. For 13 days we were on high alert.

17. Kennedy decided against an invasion (which could have provoked nuclear war), and went with a blockade of Soviet ships coming into Cuban territory
The Soviets ultimately backed down, and we all breathed a big sigh of relief
Recently declassified info has shown that part of their decision was due to some back door deals where we agreed to remove some of our missiles from Turkey if they’d remove theirs from Cuba

18. The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest we ever came to nuclear war
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest we ever came to nuclear war. As a result, Kennedy & Khrushchev sought to ease tensions.
In 1963, a Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty was signed
Also, a hot line between the U.S. President and Soviet Premier was set up to improve future communications

19. ASSASSINATION On Nov. 22, 1963, JFK was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
Lee Harvey Oswald shot & killed Kennedy while he was traveling in a convertible.

20. The official report from the Warren Commission stated that Oswald acted alone
Many conspiracy theories have been tossed around for decades, involving everyone from Castro, to the Mafia, to military leaders inside the Pentagon who wanted to escalate the war in Vietnam.
No one was able to find out the details from Oswald, however, because he was shot and killed by Jack Ruby, a nightclub owner, while being transferred.

21. The nation was glued to the television for several days throughout the memorials and burial.
Kennedy’s assassination led to Congress passing many of his programs that they had been holding up, like Medicare, tax cuts, and civil rights legislation.

22. THOUGHT QUESTIONS
What are some similarities between JFK and Pres. Obama?
How does the Cold War in the 50’s & 60’s compare to the War on Terror today? How are they different?