1. THE NEW FRONTIER AND THE GREAT SOCIETY
KENNEDY AND JOHNSON LEAD AMERICA IN THE 1960S

2. Learning Objectives: Section 2 - The New Frontier
1. Summarize the New Frontier domestic and foreign agendas.
2. Describe the tragic chain of events surrounding Kennedy’s assassination.

3. SECTION 2: THE NEW FRONTIER
Kennedy initiated his vision in a program he called “The New Frontier”
The economy, education, medical care for the elderly and the poor, and space exploration were all part of his vision

4. The New Frontier The Promise of Progress Kennedy’s Vision of Progress2
SECTION
The New Frontier
The Promise of Progress
Kennedy’s Vision of Progress
• New Frontier— policies of the Kennedy
administration
• JFK faces Republican-Southern Democrat coalition
• Lacks skill to get policies passed
• Also lacks mandate—clear voter support for his
agenda
Continued . . .
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5. KENNEDY ADDRESSES INNER CITY BLIGHT AND RACISM
In 1963, Kennedy called for “a national assault on the causes of poverty”
He also ordered his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy to investigate racial injustice in the South
Finally, he presented Congress with a sweeping civil rights bill and a sweeping tax cut bill to spur the economy

6. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
A – Why did Kennedy have difficulty achieving many of his Frontier goals?
He lacked the votes in Congress and a popular mandate.

7. Stimulating the Economy2
SECTION
continued The Promise of Progress
Stimulating the Economy
• By 1960, U.S. in recession; 6% unemployment
• JFK administration pushes for deficit spending to stimulate growth
• Gets 20% increase for defense; money for unemployment problems
Addressing Poverty Abroad
• Peace Corps—volunteers assist developing nations; great success
• Alliance for Progress—economic, technical assistance to Latin America
- in part meant to deter spread of communism in Latin America
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8. Guided Reading: The New Frontier: Fulfilled Promises Problems
What did Kennedy believe the government could do to solve the problem?
What programs, laws, and accomplishments resulted from Kennedy’s beliefs?
Economic
recession
Beliefs:
Increased spending;
engaged in deficit spending;
lower taxes
Results:
Congress increased defense spending, increased the minimum Wage,
extended unemployment insurance,
and provided assistance to cities with high unemployment.

9. THE PEACE CORPS
One of the first programs launched by JFK was the Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is a volunteer program to assist developing nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America
The Peace Corps has become a huge success

10. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS B – Why did Kennedy want to invest in foreign aid?
To help developing countries and to create a strong U.S. presence to counter communist influence.

11. Guided Reading: The New Frontier: Fulfilled Promises Problems
What did Kennedy believe the government could do to solve the problem?
What programs, laws, and accomplishments resulted from Kennedy’s beliefs?
Poverty abroad
Beliefs:
Offered volunteer,
economic,
and technical assistance to developing nations
Results:
the Peace Corps;
the Alliance for Progress;
some economic progress in developing nations

12. Addressing Domestic Problems 2
SECTION
continued The Promise of Progress
Race to the Moon
• April 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin is first man in space
• Soon after, U.S. puts man in space, uses satellite communications
• July 1969 U.S astronaut Neil Armstrong is first man to walk on moon
• University science programs grow;
Addressing Domestic Problems
• Michael Harrington’s The Other America brings attention to poverty
• 1963, JFK begins to work on poverty, racial injustice, civil rights
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13. RACE TO THE MOON
On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space
Meanwhile, America’s space agency (NASA) began construction on new launch facilities in Cape Canaveral, Florida and a mission control center in Houston, Texas

14. “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”
A MAN ON THE MOON
Armstrong
Finally, on July 20, 1969, the U.S. would achieve its goal
An excited nation watched as U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon
Space and defense-related industries sprang up in Southern and Western states
“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”

15. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
C – What effect did the space program have on other areas of American life?
It improved education, particularly in science and math, and spurred many business and industries.

16. Guided Reading: The New Frontier: Fulfilled Promises Problems
What did Kennedy believe the government could do to solve the problem?
What programs, laws, and accomplishments resulted from Kennedy’s beliefs?
Soviet
success in
space
Beliefs:
Set the goal of landing on the moon before the end of 1960s;
increased spending on the space program
Results:
U.S. astronauts orbited the Earth and finally landed on the moon;
science programs expanded;
new industries;
new technological developments;
the rapid growth of Southern and Western states

17. Tragedy in Dallas Four Days in November Unanswered Questions 2
SECTION
Tragedy in Dallas
Four Days in November
• November 22, 1963, JFK shot, killed riding in motorcade in Dallas
• Jack Ruby shoots alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald
• Vice president Lyndon Johnson succeeds JFK
Unanswered Questions
• Warren Commission investigates, concludes Oswald acted alone
• 1979 reinvestigation concludes Oswald part of conspiracy
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18. TRAGEDY IN DALLAS
On a sunny day on November 22,1963, Air Force One landed in Dallas with JFK and Jackie
JFK received warm applause from the crowd that lined the downtown streets of Dallas as he rode in the back seat of an open-air limousine

19. JFK SHOT TO DEATH
As the motorcade approached the Texas Book Depository, shots rang out
JFK was shot in the neck and then the head
His car was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors frantically tried to revive him
President Kennedy was dead (11/22/63)

22. The Soviets Did It
The Soviets seem like an obvious choice if you're looking for a dark hand behind Kennedy's assassination.
Proponents of the theory point to two pieces of evidence. First, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were engaged in a bitter cold war. Conspiracy theorists allege that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was so embarrassed by having to back down following the Cuban Missile Crisis he ordered the hit on Kennedy.
The other compelling piece of evidence is Lee Harvey Oswald's connection to the USSR. Though a former marine, Oswald had twice visited the Soviet Union with his Russian-born wife Marina. Both the Warren Commission and the House Committee on Assassinations found little evidence to support a Soviet-backed operation, but one former KGB agent came out years later to say the Russians played a role in the plot.

23. The Mafia Did it
This much we know is true, the CIA had contacts with organized crime families to discuss assassinating the president. Only the president was Cuba's Fidel Castro, not Kennedy.
The mob was heavily invested in casinos and other lucrative investments in Cuba before Castro's communist revolution, according to one iteration of the theory. Kennedy botched the Bay of Pigs invasion, ending any hopes of American organized crime returning to Cuba and enraging the mafia.
Furthermore, the mob did not like Kennedy's crusading younger brother Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and hoped the younger brother would lose his influence if his brother was killed.
One version of the theory has the CIA, who had already contacted the mob about killing Castro, asking the mafia to carry out the Kennedy hit. In another version the mob is paid to kill Kennedy by anti-Castro Cubans.
Many proponents of this conspiracy theory point to Jack Ruby, the Dallas nightclub owner with known mafia connections, who killed Lee Harvey Oswald two days after his arrest.
The Warren Commission cleared the mafia from involvement in any such plot. The House Committee on Assassinations found that the mafia was not involved in a conspiracy, but did not rule out that individuals with mob ties were part of the plot.

24. The Cubans Did It
Given that U.S. agents tried to assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro numerous times, the theory goes, Castro decided he would repay the honor and try to assassinate Kennedy.
Perhaps the most famous proponent of the Cuban theory was President Lyndon Johnson, the man who would succeed Kennedy following the assassination.
"Kennedy was trying to get to Castro, but Castro got to him first," Johnson told ABC News in 1968.
Both the Warren Commission and the House Committee on Assassinations cleared the Cubans of any involvement and when Castro was interviewed by Bill Moyers in 1977 he called the theory "absolute insanity."

25. Lyndon Johnson Did It
Who had the most to gain from killing Kennedy? Lyndon Johnson, the man who became president.
The gist of the theory is that Johnson was motivated by ambition and received help from members of the CIA and wealthy tycoons who believed they would profit more under a Johnson administration.
According to one version of the theory, Johnson was aided in the plot by another man who would become president, George H.W. Bush, a burgeoning CIA official who happened to be in Dallas on the day of the assassination.

26. The CIA Did It
In nearly every theory that involves American conspirators, be they wealthy industrialists or tough-as-nails mafiosi, one group is routinely represented – the CIA.
The Central Intelligence Agency is an easy boogeyman. Its workings and agents are a secret to most Americans, and the agency in the 1960s had a reputation for high-level political assassinations.
One theory suggests that Oswald was a CIA operative and agents tampered with his FBI file before and after the investigation to make it appear he was a communist and lone wolf.
In its 1978 report, the House Select Committee on Assassinations found that there was no indication that Oswald "had ever had contact with the Agency."

27. UNANSWERED QUESTIONS
The bizarre chain of events led many to believe that Oswald was part of a conspiracy
The Warren Commission investigated the assassination and determined that Oswald had indeed acted alone
Recent filmmaker Oliver Stone isn’t so sure – his film, “JFK,” is filled with conspiracy theories

28. LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON BECOMES PRESIDENT
The Vice-President, Lyndon Baines Johnson, became President after JFK was assassinated
The nation mourned the death of the young president while Jackie Kennedy remained calm and poised
A somber LBJ takes the oath of office aboard Air Force One with the Jackie next to him

29. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
D – In what direction did President Kennedy seem to be taking his administration in 1963?
Toward taking more action on domestic problems, including poverty, and the economy.

30. JFK LAID TO REST
All work stopped for Kennedy’s funeral as America mourned its fallen leader
The assassination and the televised funeral became historic events
Like 9-11, Americans can recall where they were when they heard the news of the President’s death
Three-year old John Kennedy Jr. salutes his father’s coffin during the funeral

31. LEE HARVEY OSWALD CHARGED; SHOT TO DEATH
A 24-year-old Marine with a suspicious past left a palm print on the rifle used to kill JFK
He was charged and as a national television audience watched his transfer from one jail to another, nightclub owner Jack Ruby broke through the crowd and shot Oswald to death
Jack Ruby, right, shoots Oswald, center, to death 11/24/63

32. MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS
E – How did the Warren Commission’s findings differ from other theories?
It declared that Oswald acted alone, while others claimed a conspiracy.

34. Guided Reading: The New Frontier: Unfulfilled promises
What reform proposals did Kennedy make that were rejected by a conservative Congress?
Medical care for the aged;
rebuilding of blighted urban areas;
federal aid for education

36. Guided Reading: The New Frontier: Unfulfilled promises
In 1963, what proposals did Kennedy make but never had the chance to guide through Congress?
A "national assault on poverty'';
an investigation of racial injustice in the South;
a national civil rights bill;
a tax cut