Aim: How did domestic and foreign policy change under the administration of John F. Kennedy?

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Aim How did domestic and foreign policy change
under the administration of John F. Kennedy?
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Objective

• Student will be able to list the major events of
  the Kennedy administration.

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Introduction

• The 1960s opened with a spirit of hope among the
  American people.
• Unlike the years following World War 1, the
  United States was now willing to address the
  problems both foreign and domestic. The United
  States Congress along with Presidents Truman and
  Eisenhower made much progress on both fronts.
• However, by the end of the decade, growing
  tensions would rip the United States apart due to
  problems in foreign and domestic issues.

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Truman and Eisenhower (1953)
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Eisenhower and Kennedy (1961)
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1. The New Frontier

• The Eisenhower years were a time of peace and
  prosperity.
• However, the nation faced certain challenges at
  the end of the 1950s.
• Some of the major issues facing the United States
  included (1) widespread poverty, (2) strained
  relations between whites and blacks and (3)
  people believed that we were losing the Cold War.
• John F. Kennedy, a Senator from Massachusetts,
  was elected President. Dwight Eisenhower would
  serve two terms because of ratification of the
  22nd Amendment-the amendment that limits the
  President to two terms.
• John F. Kennedys course of action for the United
  States would be called the New Frontier.

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22nd Amendment (1953)
AMENDMENT XXII Passed by Congress March 21, 1947.
Ratified February 27, 1951. Section 1.No person
shall be elected to the office of the President
more than twice, and no person who has held the
office of President, or acted as President, for
more than two years of a term to which some other
person was elected President shall be elected to
the office of President more than once. But this
Article shall not apply to any person holding the
office of President when this Article was
proposed by Congress, and shall not prevent any
person who may be holding the office of
President, or acting as President, during the
term within which this Article becomes operative
from holding the office of President or acting as
President during the remainder of such
term. Section 2.This article shall be
inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as
an amendment to the Constitution by the
legislatures of three-fourths of the several
States within seven years from the date of its
submission to the States by the Congress
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Question 1

• What was the New Frontier?

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1.1 The Election of 1960

• . The Election of 1960 was one of the closest
  elections in American history.
• The American people loved President Eisenhower,
  but people were not in love with the Republican
  Party. The Democrats began to slowly win seats in
  the House and Senate elections of 1956 and 1958.
• In 1960, the Republican Party nominated Richard
  Nixon, Eisenhowers vice president. Nixon had
  also had experience in both the House and Senate.
• The Democrats selected Senator John F. Kennedy
  from Massachusetts as their nominee

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• One of the most important points of the election
  of 1960 was the use of television, especially by
  John F. Kennedy.
• Kennedys advisors scheduled four televised
  debates with Nixon. People were impressed by the
  charisma and optimism of Kennedy.
• In the election, JFK won the popular vote by some
  100,000 votes while winning the electoral college
  303 to 219.
• Kennedy would become the first Catholic to become
  President while being the youngest to have been
  elected.

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The Election of 1960
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Question 2

• What was unique about the Election of 1960?

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Kennedy Debates Nixon on TV
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1.2 Program at Home

• Once he took office in January 1961, JFK began
  his New Frontier program immediately.
• Unlike Eisenhower, JFK believed that the
  President should play a more active role in the
  daily affairs of the nation.
• In his inaugural address, Kennedy told the
  American people
• And so, my fellow Americans ask not what your
  country can do for you-ask what you can do for
  your country

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J.F.Ks Inauguration-January 20, 1961
Ask not what your country can do for you, ask
what you can do for your country.
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• Kennedy begins his New Frontier program
  concentrating on domestic issues such as
  education and social welfare.
• Within two years, the US Congress raises the
  minimum wage from 1 to 1.25.
• Kennedy is able to get more people insured and
  protected under social security.
• May 1961, Kennedy passes the Area Redevelopment
  Act to provide loans and federal grants to
  low-income areas.
• June 1961, Kennedy passes the Housing Act of
  1961, which provided money for urban renewal
  programs in urban areas.
• June 1963, Kennedy passes the Higher Education
  Facilities Act, which gives federal aid to
  colleges so they could improve their facilities.

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• Kennedy was also interested in space exploration.
• In 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first
  satellite, Sputnik, into outer space.
• In 1961, the Soviet Unions Yuri Gagarin would
  become the first man to be launched into outer
  space.
• These two events led many Americans to believe
  that the Soviet Union had more scientific
  knowledge during the Cold War.

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• Eisenhower, before leaving office, passed the
  National Defense Education Act.
• The National Defense Education Act gave federal
  money to colleges for studies in math and
  science.
• Eisenhower would also create NASA (National
  Aeronautics and Space Administration).
• JFK followed Eisenhowers lead and stated that by
  the end of the decade, the United States would
  land a man on the moon.
• In July of 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
  would be the first two men to land on the moon.

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Soviet Accomplishments in Space
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Alan Shepard-1st American in Space
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Men Reach the Moon (1969)
Thats one small step for man, one giant leap
for mankind Neil Armstrong (1969)
The three Apollo 11 Astronauts in 2004.
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• In terms of the American economy, JFK wanted the
  economy to grow without causing inflation.
• JFK set up wage-price controls. This policy meant
  that if wages increased, businesses had the right
  to increase prices to make up for it. This was a
  problem for JFK because it caused more inflation.
• JFK increased domestic business investment when
  he gave tax breaks to businesses.
• In 1963, JFK and Congress cut taxes to stimulate
  the economy.

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• Kennedy also moved carefully regarding civil
  rights.
• Kennedy wanted to keep his good reputation in the
  south, so he signed very few measures in regards
  to civil rights. He did not want to anger the
  southern Democrats in Congress.
• With the help of Robert Kennedy, who was the
  Attorney General, JFK brought cases against
  anyone who violated the Civil Rights Laws of 1957
  and 1960.

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• In 1962, the United States Supreme Court
  overturned a decision regarding discrimination at
  the University of Mississippi.
• Following the example of Eisenhower, JFK used the
  military to allow James Meredith the right to
  attend the university in 1962.
• JFK also outlawed discrimination in federal
  housing projects.

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The Kennedy Brothers
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JFK Desegregates University of Mississippi (1962)
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Question 3

• What accomplishments were made by the Kennedy
  administration in regards to
• a) the minimum wage?
• b) space exploration?
• c) the economy?
• d) civil rights?

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1.3 Program Abroad

• As the United States concentrated on the
  blossoming of the civil rights movement, JFK also
  had to address the problems facing the United
  States abroad.
• Kennedy wanted to take a hard stance against
  communism while improving our image and
  reputation with other nations in the world.
• In 1961, JFK established the Peace Corps and sent
  its members to nations in need of improving their
  standard of living.
• More than 13,000 people join the Peace Corps.

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• Kennedy also worked to improve our relationship
  with Latin America by establishing the Alliance
  For Progress in 1961.
• The organization would foster better
  relationships among the nations of the Western
  Hemisphere, while allowing Americans the right to
  help industry, education, agriculture and public
  service in the region.

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Question 4

• What steps did Kennedy take to improve our
  relations with the nations of the world?

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The Peace Corps
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Alliance For Progress
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• Meanwhile, trouble was brewing in Cuba.
• When Castro seized power in 1959, many exiled
  Cubans wanted to return back to Cuba to get rid
  of Castro.
• Eisenhower, before leaving office, gave the green
  light to start the process. Kennedy put this plan
  into action after taking office.
• On April 17, 1961, more than 1,000 Cuban refugees
  landed at the Bay of Pigs. They hoped their
  presence would lead to a revolution.

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• That did not happen. The failure of the invasion
  hurt the reputation of the United States in the
  world, it brought Castro closer to the Soviet
  Union and it hurt our reputation in Latin
  America.
• After the Bay of Pigs, Fidel Castro turned to the
  Soviet Union for help.
• The Soviets, in return, began to assist Cuba with
  military aid. This alarmed JFK and his advisors
  because Cuba was 90 miles away from the US.

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• Some of Kennedys closest advisors wanted to bomb
  the missile sites, but Kennedy refused because he
  feared a nuclear war with the Soviets.
• On October 22, 1962, Kennedy announced that he
  was ordering a quarantine on any Soviet military
  goods heading towards Cuba. He alerted the
  military and asked the Soviets to remove the
  missiles. He gained the support of Americas
  allies in Western Europe and in Latin America.

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• Under the quarantine, the United States Navy
  inspected all boats heading towards Cuba.
• The first ship was stopped on October 25, but the
  United States and the Soviet Union worked
  together to solve the crisis.
• On October 26th, the two nations reached an
  agreement. The United States refused to invade
  Cuba and the Soviets would remove the missile
  sites.
• In November, the missile sites were removed.

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Question 5

• What was the Bay of Pigs invasion? What was the
  outcome?

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Question 6

• How was the Cuban Missile Crisis solved?

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Cuban Missile Crisis (Oct. 1962)
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• In addition to the problems over Cuba, the United
  States and the Soviet Union disagreed over
  Germany.
• In 1961, Kennedy and Khruschev met in Vienna. At
  the meeting, Khruschev told Kennedy that they
  should negotiate a government in Berlin within a
  year and if not, the Soviets would sign a
  separate treaty.
• Kennedy believed that the Soviets were going to
  drive the Western powers out of Berlin.

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• Kennedy did not want to be bullied by Khruschev
  in Germany, so he asked Congress to give money
  and equipment to counter the Soviet pressure. He
  sent more men to Germany and increased the number
  of people in the reserves.
• In August, with the help of the Soviet
  government, the East Germans constructed the
  Berlin Wall.
• Kennedy promised the citizens of West Berlin that
  the United States would protect their freedoms.
• The Berlin Wall would stay until 1989 when the
  people of East Berlin tore the wall down.

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President Kennedy in Berlin
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Question 7

• When was the Berlin Wall built? Why was it built?

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• The Cuban Missile Crisis and the Berlin Wall led
  many people to believe that the United States
  would heading towards a nuclear war with the
  Soviet Union.
• Many Americans felt that the nuclear arms race
  was also destroying the atmosphere due to the
  number of weapons being detonated. Many groups
  were formed to protest the nuclear arms race.

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• In 1963, the three major world powers, the United
  States, the Soviet Union and England signed the
  Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty.
• The treaty stated that the three nations would
  not test weapons in space, in the atmosphere or
  underwater.
• The French and the Chinese were developing their
  own nuclear weapons, but refused to sign the
  treaty.
• Americans were pleased with the treaty but wanted
  the treaty to include underground testing.

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Question 8

• What step in 1963 was taken to lessen the arms
  race?

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1.4 Assassination of the President

• On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was
  assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
• On that day, JFK, his wife Jackie, Governor John
  Connally, his wife Nellie and Vice President
  Lyndon Johnson rode in an open motorcade when
  shots came from the Texas Book Depository
  Building.
• The President was taken to Parkland Hospital
  where he was pronounced dead.
• Within hours, Judge Sarah Hughes swore in Vice
  President Johnson on his way back to Washington,
  DC.

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JFKs Assassination 11-22-1963
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JFKs Assassination 11-22-1963
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• Later, Lee Harvey Oswald was caught and accused
  of killing President Kennedy.
• Before Oswald could be brought to trial, he was
  shot by Jack Ruby, a Dallas nightclub owner.
• Many Americans believed that with the events,
  Oswald could have been part of a conspiracy to
  kill the President.
• A commission led by Chief Justice Earl Warren
  believed that Oswald had acted alone but years
  later, the House of Representatives believed that
  the report was inconclusive.

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Lee Harvey Oswald
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Jack Ruby
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The Warren Commission
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Question 9

• Why is the Kennedy assassination a subject of
  controversy?