1. Essential Question:
How did President Kennedy’s “New Frontier” agenda change America in the 1960s?
Warm-Up Question:
What does it take to be a “great” president?

2. America by 1960
By 1960, Americans were anxious about the changes that had taken place in the 1950s:
The economic boom of the 1950s dipped into a recession
Rock ‘n’ roll music scared parents
Civil rights protests increased fears of racial violence
Eisenhower’s foreign policies made many people wonder if America was losing the Cold War
Soviet launch of Sputnik in 1957
The rise of Fidel Castro in Cuba in 1959
Communism in Vietnam
Use of brinksmanship & build up of ICBMs led to fears of a nuclear attack
The U-2 incident

3. JFK campaign commercial (1.00)
The Election of 1960
The election of 1960 marked a turning point in U.S. politics
Democrat John F. Kennedy offered youth & hope
Served 2 Senate terms
Had no foreign policy experience; Seen as inexperienced; Catholic
But, offered active leadership to address America’s problems
Republican Richard Nixon offered experience
Served 8 years as VP
Had foreign policy experience during the critical stages of the Cold War
Promised to keep gov’t spending & taxes low
JFK campaign commercial (1.00)

4. The Election of 1960
“That night image replaced the printed word as the natural language of politics”
—Journalist Russell Baker
The election of 1960 marked a turning point in U.S. politics
1960 was the 1st time presidential debates were on TV
TV debates helped JFK win the election
1960 marked the beginning of TV dominance in politics

5. Analysis of JFK’s Inaugural Address, 1961
Listen to the audio excerpt from JFK’s inaugural address to the nation in & answer the following questions:
Based on JFK’s speech, identify at least 3 goals he has as president ?

6. The New Frontier
JFK’s family captivated the nation
President Kennedy represented youth, charisma, hope, & a new approach to government
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy created new standards of American fashion for women
The nation adored their two young children

7. JFK’s “New Frontier”
President Kennedy’s vision for America was called the “New Frontier”
He filled out his cabinet & White House staff with the “best & the brightest” political minds in America

8. JFK’s “New Frontier”
At home, President Kennedy wanted to improve the lives of all Americans:
After the violence in Birmingham in 1963, JFK committed to create the Civil Rights Act
He wanted to wage a “war on poverty” to help close the gap between the rich & the poor

9. JFK’s “New Frontier”
In the Cold War, JFK took a strong stand against the Soviet Union:
He believed that the USSR had more ICBMs (“missile gap”) & better space technology
He wanted a “flexible response” to fight the Cold War: more ICBMs but also a bigger military
He wanted a “first strike capability” against the USSR, (rather than “mutually assured destruction”)
I am directing the Secretary of Defense to undertake a reorganization and modernization o the Army's divisional structure, to increase its non-nuclear firepower, to improve its tactical mobility in any environment, to insure its flexibility to meet any direct or indirect threat, to facilitate its coordination with our major allies, and to provide more modern mechanized divisions in Europe and bring their equipment up to date, and [to provide] new airborne brigades in both the Pacific and Europe.
President John F. Kennedy

10. The actual missile gap

11. The Berlin Crisis, 1961
In JFK’s first year in office, Soviet leader Khrushchev threatened to cut off access to West Berlin
JFK vowed to never give up access to West Berlin
Rather than blockade the city, Communist leaders built the Berlin Wall in 1961 to keep East Germans out of West Berlin

12. “Ich bin ein Berliner” —JFK, 1963
Walls and other barriers 10–15 feet high surrounded West Berlin. The length of the barriers around the city totaled about 110 miles
“Ich bin ein Berliner”
—JFK, 1963
The “death strip” stretched like a barren moat around West Berlin, with patrols, floodlights, electric fences, and vehicle traps between the inner and outer walls

13. The Bay of Pigs Invasion, 1961
In 1959, Fidel Castro gained control of Cuba, seized property, & took aid from Khrushchev in the Soviet Union

14. Cuba: The Bay of Pigs Invasion
JFK went on TV & took responsibility for the failure at the Bay of Pigs
In 1959, Fidel Castro gained control of Cuba, seized property, & took aid from Khrushchev in the Soviet Union
Under Eisenhower, the CIA trained Cuban exiles to invade the island & overthrow of Castro
In 1961, JFK authorized the plan, but the Bay of Pigs invasion failed after JFK called off air strikes on Cuba

15. The Cuban Missile Crisis
After the failure at the Bay of Pigs, Soviet leader Khrushchev promised to defend Cuba from the USA
In 1962, U.S. spy planes revealed nuclear missile camps in Cuba
If assembled, Soviet ICBMs in Cuba would give the USSR first strike capability on U.S. targets
JFK warned that he would not allow nuclear missiles in Cuba

16. The Cuban Missile Crisis
The potential threat: Cuba with Soviet-provided military equipment & nuclear missiles
Not all missiles in Cuba were operational, but Khrushchev shipped more missiles to Cuba

17. Quick Class Discussion: How should President Kennedy respond?
Advisors presented JFK with several options
What are the positives/negatives of each?
What should JFK do? Rank order these options
Immediate air strike on existing missile sites
Full military invasion of Cuba; Take out Castro
Diplomacy: trade ICBMs in Cuba for ours in Turkey?
Naval blockade to keep out the in-route Soviet missiles

18. Kennedy announced a quarantine (blockade) to keep more missiles out & demanded that the Soviets remove the missiles already in Cuba
Soviet ships, escorted by nuclear-equipped submarines, soon approached the quarantine line & the world waited for World War III

19. Cuban Missile Crisis The standoff ended when a deal was reached:
Soviet ships turned around at the last minute & Khrushchev removed its missiles from Cuba
JFK promised that the U.S. would not invade Cuba & secretly agreed to remove ICBMs from Turkey
The crisis ended as a victory for JFK, but it revealed how close the two sides came to nuclear war

20. JFK & the Cold War
President Kennedy fought the Cold War in other ways:
JFK created the Peace Corps in 1961 to send humanitarian aid & improve U.S. relations with under-developed nations
In 1962, JFK committed the U.S. to catch the USSR in the space race by landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade
U.S. landed on the moon in 1969

22. Essential Question:
How did the assassination of President John F. Kennedy impact the United States?
Warm-Up Question:
How effectively did Kennedy handle the Cold War during his presidency?

23. On Nov 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas

24. The Assassination of JFK
On Nov 22, 1963 John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas
Chronology of events:
Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested
VP Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president on Air Force One
Two days later, Oswald was killed by Jack Ruby
After a 10 month investigation, the Warren Report stated that Oswald was a “lone gunman”
Kennedy's Assassination: Dallas Chronology. Sequential chronology of the SPECIFIC, PROVABLE events that took place in Dallas on November 23, 1963.
11:40 a.m. Air Force One arrives at Love Field in Dallas, Texas.
11:45 a.m. The Presidential motorcade leaves Love Field.
11:50 a.m. President Kennedy stops to greet youngsters at Lemmon Avenue and Lomo Alto Drive.
12:22 p.m. The motorcade stops at Ervay Street.
12:30 p.m. President Kennedy and Senator John Connally are hit by bullets. Their limousine speeds to Parkland Memorial Hospital.
12:36 p.m. The President's limousine arrives at Parkland.
12:40 p.m. Vice presidential aides arrive at Trade Mart, where a crowd is awaiting the president's arrival.
12:40 p.m. Lee Harvey Oswald boards a bus.
12:44 p.m. Oswald gets off the bus.
12:47 p.m. Oswald enters a cab.
12:54 p.m. Oswald leaves the cab and walks to his boarding house.
12:59 p.m. Oswald arrives at his boarding house. He leaves several minutes later with a pistol.
1:15 p.m. Oswald is stopped by police officer J.D. Tippit. Tippit is shot to death.
1:45 p.m. Oswald runs into the Texas Theater.
1:50 p.m. Oswald is arrested inside the theater.
2:08 p.m. A hearse bearing Kennedy's body leaves Parkland hospital.
2:15 p.m. The hearse arrives at Love Field.
11/24/63:
Morning Jack Ruby is at his apartment when a friend calls asking him to wire $25.
11:17 a.m. Ruby arrives at Western Union to wire the money.
11:21 a.m. Ruby shoots Oswald.

25. Lincoln
Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846 & as President in 1860
He was directly concerned with Civil Rights
Lincoln was shot in the head in front of his wife on a Friday
Lincoln shot in the Ford Theatre
The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was known by three names of 15 letters
Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and fled to a warehouse (barn)
Booth was killed before being brought to trial
There were theories that Booth was part of a greater conspiracy
Lincoln's successor was Andrew Johnson, born in 1808
Kennedy
Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946 & as President in 1960
He was directly concerned with Civil Rights
Kennedy was shot in the head in front of his wife on a Friday
Kennedy shot in a Lincoln (Ford)
The assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was known by three names of 15 letters
Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse and fled to a theater
Oswald was killed before being brought to trial
There were theories that Oswald was part of a greater conspiracy
Kennedy's successor was Lyndon Johnson, born in 1908

26. JFK Conspiracy Theories
For more information on JFK conspiracy theories, check out this link

27. The Impact of the Assassination

28. The Impact of the Assassination
JFK’s assassination had important consequences for America:
The “martyrdom” of JFK put pressure on Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964
VP Lyndon Johnson carried out JFK’s “war on poverty”
LBJ enacted his own program called the “Great Society” with civil rights, medical insurance, environmental, & social programs

29. The Legacy of JFK
What was the legacy of JFK? Did Kennedy accomplish his goals? How effective was he as president?
In groups, answer these questions by completing the chart in your notes
Brainstorm the goals of JFK & identify if or how he accomplished the goal
Next, give JFK a “grade” for each of these goals & an overall “grade” as president

31. Essential Question:
What was the impact of President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” program?
Warm-Up Question:
If JFK did not live long enough to see most of his domestic programs created, what was his contribution as a president?

32. President Lyndon Johnson
In 1963, LBJ finished the last year of JFK’s presidency & then ran for president in the 1964 election:
His opponent was conservative Republican Barry Goldwater who talked about strongly resisting the USSR with nuclear weapons
Johnson won & began his “Great Society,” the broadest series of social reforms since FDR’s New Deal
The Great Society was

33. Lyndon Johnson & the Great Society
What were the significant programs of President Johnson’s “Great Society”?
In groups, examine each of the placards & take notes in the graphic organizer
After you have seen all 9 stations, rank order the programs in terms of most significant (#1) to least significant (#9)