Transcript jfk - kdircks

The Kennedy Years
US History
"No easy problem ever comes to the
President of the United States. If
they are easy to solve, somebody else
has solved them."
What makes a Great
President?
10 Categories for Evaluating
Presidents
Ranking of Presidents for
Leadership
1960 Election
• Richard Nixon (VP) vs. John F. Kennedy
1960 Election
Only 120,000 votes apart!!!! – Role of Illinois?
**Watch Commercials
Paris, 1961
JFK – “One of the
worst days of my
life”
Khrushchev & JFK meet to discuss Berlin and
nuclear proliferation. Khrushchev thinks that JFK
is young, inexperienced, and can be controlled.
The Berlin Wall Goes Up (1961)
Checkpoint
Charlie
The Berlin Wall
• The wall was erected by the communist
government of East Germany in 1961 to
prevent people fleeing to the West
• The barrier around West Berlin was
first barbed wire and then cinder
blocks, 96 miles long.
• Around 5000 managed to cross between
1961 and 1989 and between 100-200
were killed as they tried to cross.
Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
Khrushchev & Castro 1961
In 1959, Fidel
Castro came to
power in an armed
revolt that
overthrew Cuban
dictator Fulgencio
Batista. The U.S.
government
distrusted Castro
and was wary of his
relationship with
Nikita Khrushchev,
the leader of the
Soviet Union.
Containment Plan
• Train Cuban exiles for an invasion of
their homeland (starting at the Bay of
Pigs)
• The plan anticipated that the Cuban
people and elements of the Cuban
military would support the invasion.
• The ultimate goal was the overthrow of
Castro and the establishment of a noncommunist government friendly to the
United States.
Bay of Pigs
Bay of Pigs Debacle (1961)
Castro versus 1500 CIA trained exiles
The Battle?
• The Cuban-exile invasion force landed at
beaches along the Bay of Pigs and immediately
came under heavy fire. Cuban planes strafed
the invaders, sank two escort ships, and
destroyed half of the exile's air support.
• Castro ordered roughly 20,000 troops to
advance toward the beach, and the Cuban air
force continued to control the skies.
• The invasion was crushed later that day.
• Some exiles escaped to the sea, while the
rest were killed or rounded up and imprisoned
by Castro's forces. Almost 1,200 members of
surrendered, and more than 100 were killed.
CASTRO
Outcomes
• On December 1962, the Cuban
government exchanged the 1,113
captured mercenaries for 53 million
dollars worth of baby food and medicine
• US Cost = $42 million for training and
supplies + $53 million for ransom
• **End result = Castro remains in power
and Soviet Union strengthens Cuban
relationship
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
In October 1962, an
American U-2 spy
plane secretly
photographed
nuclear missile sites
being built by the
Soviet Union on the
island of Cuba.
JFK’s Address to the Nation
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
Kennedy decided to place a
naval blockade, or a ring of
ships, around Cuba. The
aim of this "quarantine," as
he called it, was to prevent
the Soviets from bringing
in more military supplies.
He demanded the removal
of the missiles already
there and the destruction
of the sites.
KHRUSHCHEV Responds
Dear Mr. President,
Imagine, Mr. President, what if we were to
present to you such an ultimatum as you have
presented to us by your actions. How would you react
to it? I think you would be outraged at such a move
on our part. And this we would understand.
Having presented these conditions to us, Mr.
President, you have thrown down the gauntlet. Who
asked you to do this? By what right have you done
this? Our ties with the Republic of Cuba, as well as
our relations with other nations, regardless of their
political system, concern only the two countries
between which these relations exist.
The End of the Letter?
• The Soviet government considers the violation of the
freedom of navigation in international waters and air
space to constitute an act of aggression propelling
humankind into the abyss of a world nuclear-missile
war.
• We will then be forced on our part to take those
measures we deem necessary and sufficient to
defend our rights. To this end we have all that is
necessary.
Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
The Soviets
agreed to
dismantle the
weapon sites in
exchange for a
pledge from the
United States
not to invade
Cuba to remove
its nuclear
missiles from
Turkey.
We went eyeball-to-eyeball with the
Russians, and the other man blinked!
Long Term Outcomes of the
Cuban Missile Crisis
• The establishment of a "Hotline" between the
Kremlin and the White House and the signing
of the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
• The SALT Treaties made a significant
contribution to containing the dangers of the
Cold War and provided a foundation for
continuing arms control measures to reduce
the risk of nuclear war.
JFK’s Trip to Dallas
Assassination of JFK
• Lee Harvey Oswald
November 22, 1963
Dallas, Texas
Jack Ruby Shoots Lee Harvey Oswald November 24, 1963
Warren Commission’s Report
• It is apparent, however, that Oswald was
moved by an overriding hostility to his
environment. He does not appear to have been
able to establish meaningful relationships with
other people. He was perpetually discontented
with the world around him. Long before the
assassination he expressed his hatred for
American society and acted in protest against
it. Out of these and the many other factors
which may have molded the character of Lee
Harvey Oswald there emerged a man capable
of assassinating President Kennedy.
Lincoln
Kennedy
Lincoln was elected to Congress in 1846
Kennedy was elected to Congress in 1946
He was elected President in 1860
He was elected President in 1960
His wife lost a child while living in the
White House
His wife lost a child while living in the
White House
He was directly concerned with Civil
Rights
He was directly concerned with Civil
Rights
Lincoln was shot in the back of the head
in the presence of his wife
Kennedy was shot in the back of the head
in the presence of his wife
Lincoln shot in the Ford Theatre
Kennedy shot in a Lincoln, made by Ford
He was shot on a Friday
He was shot on a Friday
The assassin, John Wilkes Booth, was
known by three names, comprised of
fifteen letters
The assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, was
known by three names, comprised of
fifteen letters
Booth shot Lincoln in a theater and fled to
a warehouse
Oswald shot Kennedy from a warehouse
and fled to a theater
Booth was killed before being brought to
trial
Oswald was killed before being brought to
trial
There were theories that Booth was part of
a greater conspiracy
There were theories that Oswald was part
of a greater conspiracy
Lincoln's successor was Andrew Johnson,
born in 1808
Kennedy's successor was Lyndon Johnson,
born in 1908
Coincidence???
• One more coincidence:
– JFK was invited to speak at the hundredth
anniversary of the Gettysburg Address
11/23/1963
– Originally accepted but cancelled to attend
a political meeting in Dallas
– Eternal flame for JFK was modified from
the eternal flame at Gettysburg
1964 Candidates
• Lyndon B. Johnson
1964 Campaign Commercials!!!!!
• Barry Goldwater
1964 Election
Why would the South become Republican? - Democrats passed Civil Rights Act