Transcript Chap 17 student revised

The New Frontier
What social issues did the
Kennedy administration
address?
The Election of 1960
In 1960 a youthful John F. Kennedy
narrowly defeated Richard M. Nixon in
the presidential election.
The Election of 1960 (cont.)
• On September 26, 1960, the first televised
presidential debate aired.
• Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican
Richard M. Nixon differed greatly in style and
background, but were not far apart in their
views on the key issues.
• The campaign centered on the
economy and the Cold War.
The Presidential Election of 1960
The Election of 1960 (cont.)
• Kennedy worried about a suspected
“missile gap.”
• Kennedy’s Catholic faith became an issue,
but he still won a narrow victory.
• Nixon v. Kennedy Debate
• Many Americans had been taken by his
youth and optimism.
The Presidential Election of 1960
JFK and the Cold War
What efforts to achieve
peace did the Kennedy
administration make?
Containing Communism
President Kennedy developed new
programs to combat the spread of
communism.
Containing Communism (cont.)
• Another program aimed at helping less
developed nations fight poverty was the
Peace Corps.
• The United States was losing the
space race to the Soviets, who launched
Sputnik into space in 1957.
• In 1961 a Soviet astronaut became the first
person to orbit Earth.
Containing Communism (cont.)
• Kennedy went before Congress and
declared that the United States should land
the first man on the moon.
• In 1962 John Glenn became the first
American to orbit Earth.
• In 1965 the United States sent three men
into orbit in a capsule called Apollo.
• On July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong and “Buzz”
Aldrin landed on the moon.
Crises of the Cold War
President Kennedy faced foreign policy
crises in Cuba and Berlin.
Crises of the Cold War (cont.)
• The first crisis occurred in Cuba, only 90
miles from American shores.
• Fidel Castro overthrew the corrupt Cuban
dictator Fulgencio Batista in 1959.
• Castro then established ties with the
Soviet Union.
• Kennedy elected December 1960;
• Inaugurated Jan 1961
The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962
Crises of the Cold War (cont.)
• Fearing that the Soviets would use Cuba as a
base from which to spread revolution
throughout the Western Hemisphere,
Eisenhower had authorized the CIA to secretly
train and arm a group of Cuban exiles, known
as La Brigada, to invade the island.
• The April 1961 invasion was a disaster and
the Bay of Pigs was a dark moment for the
Kennedy administration.
The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962
Crises of the Cold War (cont.)
• August 1961, East Germans and Soviet
allies begin to construct the wall
• Soviet justify it as a means of keeping out
fascist influences allegedly hiding in the
west.
• Reality was Soviet leaders wanted to stop
“brain drain” and force allies out of West
Berlin.
• Berlin Wall becomes both a tangible and
symbolic of the iron curtain.
Crises of the Cold War (cont.)
• On October 22, 1962 Kennedy announced
on television that spy planes had taken aerial
photographs showing that the Soviet Union
had placed long-range missiles in Cuba.
• A Scene from 13 Days in October
• After a flurry of secret negotiations, the Soviet
Union offered to remove the missiles if the
United States promised not to invade Cuba
and to remove its missiles from Turkey.
Crises of the Cold War (cont.)
• June 1963 Kennedy goes to Berlin: Ich Bin
Ein Berliner
• n August 1963 the two countries concluded
years of negotiation by agreeing to a treaty
that banned testing nuclear weapons in the
atmosphere.
• On November 22, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald
shot and killed JFK.
• Jack Ruby then killed Lee Harvey Oswald
two days later.
The New Frontier
What social issues did the
Kennedy administration
address?
Kennedy Takes Office
Despite an uneasy relationship with
Congress, President Kennedy
managed to get parts of his domestic
agenda passed.
Kennedy Takes Office (cont.)
• Inaugurated Jan 1961
• Upon entering office, President Kennedy set
out to implement a legislative agenda that
became known as the New Frontier.
• Although the Democrats had large majorities
in both houses of Congress, Kennedy was
unable to push through many of his
programs.
Kennedy Takes Office (cont.)
• Kennedy did achieve some victories,
particularly in his efforts to improve the
economy.
• He convinced Congress to invest more funds
in defense and space exploration.
Kennedy Takes Office (cont.)
• He also convinced Congress to raise the
minimum wage and support his proposal for an
Area Redevelopment Act and a Housing Act.
• In 1961 Kennedy created the Presidential
Commission on the Status of Women.
• The commission proposed the Equal Pay
Act, which Kennedy signed in 1963.
Crises of the Cold War (cont.)
• On November 22, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald
shot and killed JFK.
• Jack Ruby then killed Lee Harvey Oswald
two days later.
• JFK assassination and the Warren
Commission
The Great Society
What groups of people did
Lyndon Johnson’s Great
Society assist?
Section 17.3 Johnson Takes the
Reins
President Johnson’s experiences in
Congress helped him push through
a civil rights bill and new laws to
fight poverty.
Johnson Takes the Reins
• Came from humble upbringings in small
Texas town. Went to a small town college.
• A career politician. Was well known, well
connected southern politician. Selected by
Kennedy as VP to win votes in the south.
• Experience combined with inferiority
complex towards the rich and well educated
in Washington shapes his personality.
Johnson Takes the Reins (cont.)
• Johnson believed deeply in social action, so
he declared a War on Poverty in America.
Poverty Rate in America, 1960–2000
Johnson Takes the Reins (cont.)
• Some of the new programs were:
– Neighborhood Youth Corps
– Job Corps
– VISTA—Volunteers in Service to America
– Upward Bound
– Work Experience Program
The Great Society
Great Society programs provided
assistance to disadvantaged
Americans.
The Great Society (cont.)
• After his election, Johnson began working
with Congress to create the “Great Society”
he had promised during his campaign.
• Major goals also were achieved through the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting
Rights Act of 1965.
What Was the Great Society?
The Great Society (cont.)
• Johnson’s ambitious vision encompassed
more than 60 programs that were initiated
between 1965 and 1968.
• Among the most significant programs were
Medicare and Medicaid.
• The Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 granted millions of dollars to
public and private schools.
• Project Head Start and Upward Bound were
two other education programs.
The Great Society (cont.)
• In some ways, the impact of the Great
Society was limited.
• Problems with the programs:
– In his rush to accomplish as much as
possible, Johnson did not calculate exactly
how his programs might work.
– The programs grew so quickly they were
often unmanageable and difficult to
evaluate.
The Great Society (cont.)
– Cities, states, and groups eligible for aid
began to expect immediate and lifechanging benefits.
– Other Americans opposed the massive
growth of federal programs and criticized
the Great Society for intruding too much
into their lives. “Entitlement society” which
is a huge political issue today.
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