Chapter 20

Section One

Kennedy and the Cold War

Objectives:

• To describe The Camelot Years

• To describe and evaluate our 1960’s military policy

• To describe the crisis over Cuba

• To describe JFK’s assassination…

Election of 1960

• John F. Kennedy, Dem. (young, inexperienced, Catholic, charismatic)

• Richard Nixon, Rep. (experienced, not as charismatic)

• First televised debate – “That night, image replaced the printed word as the national language of politics.” Kennedy won.

• Kennedy won the vote of the African Americans; Robert befriended Martin Luther King, Jr. and his family.

Closest election in over 100 years

• JFK’s Inaugural Address:

• “The Camelot Years” – JFK and his beautiful young family led a presidency of elegance and artistic achievement.

• JFK’s Cabinet was considered “the best and the brightest”

• Sec. of State – Dean Rusk

• Sec. of Defense – Robert McNamara

• Attorney General – Robert Kennedy (younger brother)

• JFK felt Soviets were gaining more allies in the 3rd world.

• Third World – poor underdeveloped countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America that were not aligned with the Soviets or the Americans.

• JFK blasted Eisenhower for losing Cuba to the Communists.

• JFK’s foreign policy was “flexible response” – strengthening non-nuclear military capacity.

• We doubled military spending.

Special Forces,

or Green Berets were

created.

• Eisenhower had warned against so much defense spending. It permeated all levels of society.

• Both the US and Soviet Union could annihilate each other – so the strategy of “mutually assured destruction” served as a deterrence.

• Crisis over Cuba:

– 90 miles off coast of Florida.

– Fidel Castro took over in 1961 and cut off relations with the US. He sought aid from the Soviets.

– In the Cuban revolution, he had promised his people he would deliver them from poverty, inequality, and dictatorship.

– Castro quickly took US controlled sugar land.

• Exiled Cubans built a revolutionary movement in the US.

• Pres. Eisenhower had secretly given the CIA permission to train these exiles for an invasion of Cuba.

• JFK approved the plan. Apr. 17, 1960, Bay of Pigs Invasion took place.

• JFK called off air support at the last minute.

• Everything went wrong. Castro’s troops captured and killed the invading army.

• JFK was embarrassed and forced to pay ransom for surviving commandos.

map on p. 675

• Castro was strongly tied to Soviet Union. Khrushchev promised to defend Cuba by sending Soviet weapons, including nuclear weapons.

• 1962, US spy planes spotted Soviet missile bases in Cuba.

Cuban Missile Crisis:• JFK informed the nation about the missile

sites. For the next 6 days, we faced the possibilities of a nuclear war.

• The US set up blockade of Cuba. If the Russian ships broke the blockade, we would go to war.

• The 2 sides made a deal…

• Khrushchev removed the missiles from Cuba and we agreed not to attack Cuba again.

• Later, we removed missiles from Turkey.

• We opened a direct hot line between Washington and Moscow, so there would be no mistakes in communication.

• Castro began to close Cuba’s doors….

Berlin Wall (p. 677)

• 1961, East Berlin (Communist) Germans were leaving by the hundreds.

• Soviets built a wall separating East and West Germany. The Berlin Wall became a symbol of Communist oppression.

• Limited Test Ban Treaty – no nuclear testing in the atmosphere, both US and Russians agreed.

JFK’s Domestic Policies:

“New Frontier”

• “We stand today on the edge of a New Frontier.”

• This was JFK’s plan for liberal changes in the gov’t.

• However, he did not have a popular mandate since he was elected by a slim margin, so he got few ideas passed.

• We were entering a recession when JFK took office; his accomplishments in the economic area were minor.

• One of the promises JFK made was to form a Peace Corps – successful program for young people who volunteer to assist in developing nations of the world.

• JFK est. the Alliance for Progress – loaned money to Latin Am. countries.

Space Race:

• 1961, Soviet Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space.

• JFK spent lots of $ on US space program.

• 1969 – Neil Armstrong took first steps on the moon.

• “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”

• The Other America – book by Michael Harrington, showed the world the true extent of poverty in America.

• JFK began to take a more aggressive approach to poverty and segregation in the South.

• and then he was shot….

JFK at airport in Dallas before he was shot.

Who really killed JFK?

• November 22, 1963 – Dallas, TX. JFK was assassinated in a car in front of the Texas School Book Depository.

• Zapruder, a citizen, filmed the shooting…..

• Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested for the crime.

• A couple days later, he was killed by Jack Ruby.

• On July 27, 1963, Lee was accompanied by Dutz and Lillian Murret (his aunt and uncle) and Marina to speak at the House of Studies at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. There he discussed his experiences in the Soviet Union before an audience of Jesuit seminarians.

• Among a variety of views he expressed was the following: Question: Why don't the Russians see they are being indoctrinated and they are being denied the truth by these jamming stations?

• Answer: They are convinced that such contact would harm them and would be dangerous. They are convinced that the state is doing them a favor by denying them access to Western radio broadcasts.

• Source: Commission Exhibit 2649, 25H727-728.

• Conspiracy theories rose even though Oswald’s prints were on the gun that killed JFK.

• The Warren Commission was set up to study the case. It was determined in 1963 that Oswald acted alone. But a new study in 1979 concluded that it was probably a conspiracy. Papers were also released in 1994 and others will be released in 2017.

• VP Lyndon Baines Johnson took the oath of office aboard Air Force One.

Chapter 20 Part 3

“The Great Society”

Lyndon Baines Johnson

• Read the story on page 686.

• Both JFK and LBJ wanted to help the poor.

• LBJ’s ambitious reputation was legendary. He was Southern, Protestant, making him an asset for JFK.

• LBJ, Texan, supporter of the small farmer and rancher, master of politics, LBJ idolized FDR.

When LBJ took over, he urged Congress to pass the civil rights andtax bills that JFK had supported.

• Congress passed a tax cut, and the economy grew.

• Also, they passed the Civil Rights Act, 1964 – prohibiting discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and sex and gave the federal gov’t new powers to enforce it.

War on Poverty:

• LBJ declared an “unconditional war on poverty in America”. – Economic Opportunity Act – money for

youth programs, antipoverty measures, small business loans, and job training.

• Project Head Start – underprivileged preschooler

• VISTA – Volunteers in Service to America

1964 Election:Barry Goldwater – Rep.

LBJ – Dem.

Goldwater believed that it was not the federal gov’t’s business to try to right social and economic wrongs such as poverty and discrimination.

• Goldwater threatened to use nuclear weapons and intervene in Vietnam.

• LBJ opposed this.

• LBJ won by a landslide.

“The Great Society”

• LBJ now promised America would be “The Great Society” – he wanted to end poverty and discrimination and he believed education was the key.

• Book p. 690 – Great Society programs.

Great Society Programs:

• Medicare & Medicaid

• Clean Air Act & Water Quality Act (Silent Spring, Rachel Carson)

• Truth in Packaging Act

• Dept. of Transportation

• Higher Education Act

• Immigration Act

• LBJ appt. the first African Am. cabinet member (HUD secretary) Robert Weaver.

• LBJ’s program was liberal and the Supreme Court supported his reforms.

Earl Warren, Chief Justice

Warren’s Court:

• Chief Justice Earl Warren led the liberal reforms of the SC of the 1960’s– 1954, Brown vs. Board of Education, est.

integration.– banned state-sanctioned prayer in public

schools– limited power of communities to censor books,

films, etc.– supported the Tinkers in the black armband

case of free speech.– cont.

• states were forced to reapportion their voting to make it more fair

• greatly expanded the rights of the accused– Mapp vs. Ohio - illegally gained evidence

cannot be used in court– Gideon vs. Wainwright – free legal council to

poor– accused have a right to an attorney– Miranda vs. Arizona – all suspects must be

read their rights. (see p. 694-695)

• Impact of the Great Society and the Warren Court was more power to the federal government and more spending for the federal government.

• Ultimately, there would be a conservative backlash.

• the Vietnam Conflict brings an end to Johnson’s presidency.