Kennedy and Johnson Years [1960-1968]:

chapter 21

Kennedy and Johnson Years [1960-1968]:

chapter 21

“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for

your country.” Kennedy

“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for

your country.” Kennedy

The Election of 1960 TV Presidential Debate Nixon - ill, serious, not

overly handsome Kennedy - young,

relaxed, handsome Kennedy skilled on TV:

Nixon skilled at using TV debate gave him

momentum going into the election

Polls showed: Those who watched

debate on TV selected Kennedy as the winner

Those who listened to debate on Radio selected Nixon as the winner

http://www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/kennedy-nixon-debates

Election of 1960

Kennedy = young, energetic Senator, also Roman Catholic

Nixon = seasoned veteran who had lots of political experience

Kennedy won the popular election by 119,000 votes out of 69 million

Kennedy’s Domestic Programs

Kennedy’s programs and incentives: The New Frontier Kennedy did not have a mandate (public endorsement of

his proposals). Difficulty getting his bills passed in Congress.

The Economy Fought big business price fixing Proposed large tax cut

Combating Poverty and Inequality Kennedy - convinced the poor needed direct federal aid Congress passed a minimum wage increase and the Housing

Act of 1961 Other Kennedy Initiatives

Kennedy began trying to achieve his goals through executive order

Issued many executive orders

The Space Program In 1961, Soviet

Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first man to travel in space

Fearing America had fallen behind in technological development, Kennedy called for more funding and better results

Space Program

The United States “should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon.”

The nation accepted the challenge and funding for NASA increased

The Warren Court

Referred to as the Warren Court because of its Chief Justice Earl Warren (1953-1969)

Warren Court overturned many old laws and established new legal precedents

Major Decisions of the Warren Court

The Warren Court During the Kennedy-Johnson years, the Supreme

Court, headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren, handed down many controversial landmark verdicts.

The Court ruled on social issues including: Obscenity prayer in public schools use of birth control.

Court ruled on the rights of persons accused of committing crimes. Miranda rule, a result of the 1966 case Miranda v.

Arizona, required police to inform accused persons of their rights.

Court decisions changed the nature of apportionment, or the distribution of the seats in a legislature among electoral districts.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2QiFg7

MJL3E

Warren Court Criticism Correctly or not,

much of the criticism of the Warren Court during the 1950s and 1960s centered on perceptions that the Supreme Court had become too activist.

Instead of simply deciding what the Constitution required, the justices attempted to enforce their own notions of justice.

Continued Warren Court Criticism

Liberal decisions found many supporters However, such judicial activism stirred

considerable opposition both on and off the Court. While indicating their own support for the liberal

direction of Supreme Court decisions, such justices as Felix Frankfurter and John Marshall Harlan II advocated greater judicial restraint (limited nature of court power)

Warren Court Criticism

Criticized for going far beyond the language of the Constitution and:

weakening democracy by usurping (take by force) the role of the people's elected representatives.

In 1968, presidential candidate Richard Nixon blamed the Court's decisions for rising crime rates

Nixon promised to appoint strict constructionists (those who interpret the original intent of the Constitution) to the Supreme Court if elected to the presidency.

Bay of Pigs Invasion: 1961

1959 - Fidel Castro overthrew the U.S. backed dictator Fulgencio Batista

Castro installed a communist government

President Kennedy learned of a plan by outgoing President Eisenhower to train exiled Cubans in Guatemala to overthrow Castro

1961 - Day of the invasion - air strike was limited and missed the Cuban air force

1,500 U.S.-backed invaders captured by Castro’s forces

Humiliating loss for the US

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cleb8OXBd_

8

The Berlin Crisis: 1961

Soviet Union wanted to stop the flow of East German people to West Germany through Berlin

Soviet demanded a treaty to make the division permanent

The Berlin Wall: 1961 JFK felt like the

Soviets were going to try to take over more of Europe called for a large

increase in military spending

Army placed on alert

Soviets responded by building the Berlin Wall

The Cuban Missile Crisis: 1962

October 1962, American spy plane revealed the Soviet Union were building missile bases on Cuban soil

Tension escalated between the US and USSR

Cuban Missile Crisis:1962 Kennedy’s response

= a naval quarantine (blockade) of Cuba

Soviet ships approached the blockade = world waited in fear

At the last minute Soviet leader Khrushchev ordered ships turned around

Cuban Missile Crisis: 1962

Cuban Missile Crisis Map: 1962

Cuba: 1961-1962 Khrushchev agreed to

remove the missiles that were already there in exchange for the U.S. staying out of Cuba and U.S. missiles being removed from Turkey

QuickTime™ and aSorenson Video 3 decompressorare needed to see this picture.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5ZzL9KsyPY

Limited Test Ban Treaty: 1963The Limited

Test Ban Treaty also was a result of this crisis, it banned nuclear testing above the ground

JFK: Foreign Policy “Flexible

Response” - moved away from the drastic stances of Massive Retaliation = Less militant response

Alliance for Progress - Proactive ventures in Latin America

The Peace Corpshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v08lq5tNaPA (Flexible Response)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeXRLvcPp-I (Alliance for Progress)

The Peace Corps

The Peace Corps Kennedy

established program for group of volunteers that were sent overseas to help developing nations around the world as: Educators health workers technicians

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EqOH2M12VUg&list=PLDE8B75064FA22525

Kennedy Assassination

Began his reelection campaign, JFK traveled to Dallas, TX with his wife

The Governor met them at the airport and together they took an open-air limousine through Dallas

In the Texas School Book Depository, Lee Harvey Oswald took aim and shot Kennedy from the sixth floor

Kennedy was pronounced dead at the Hospital shortly after on Nov. 22, 1963.

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Nation in Mourning Nation grieved Alleged assassin, Lee

Harvey Oswald Oswald shot by Jack

Ruby (Dallas night club owner)

President LBJ ordered the Warren Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy

Concluded Oswald had acted alone

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-jfk-anniversary-20131117-dto,0,7472345.htmlstory#axzz2tg6knCC

Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ): Path to the White House

LBJ = skilled politician youngest minority

leader of the Senate later Senate majority

leader. very successful

Presidential Election of 1964 (p. 843)Presidential Election of 1964 (p. 843)

Johnson easily won the election over Barry Goldwater in 1964Characterized Goldwater as a trigger happy war monger who would use nuclear weapons.

LBJ in action

Famous for his ability to use the political system to accomplish goals

Johnson inspired fear and awe among his colleagues

The Great SocietyJohnson

began a series of major legislative initiatives called the Great Societyhttp://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-

news/45872954#45872954

Major Great Society Programs

The Great Society Great Society

programs included major poverty relief, education aid, healthcare, voting rights, conservation and beautification projects, urban renewal and economic development

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The Great Society

The Tax Cut Johnson proposed a large

tax cut that would pay for itself with the increase in the economy

War on Poverty He started Head Start

(preschool for low income families)

Volunteers in Service to America [VISTA] (volunteers for low income neighborhoods)

Figure 28.4 Legal Immigration to the United States by Region, 1931–1984 (p. 828)Figure 28.4 Legal Immigration to the United States by Region, 1931–1984 (p. 828)

The Great Society Aid to Education — The 1965

Elementary and Secondary Education Act, provided billions of dollars in aid to public and private schools.

Medicare and Medicaid Medicare - provides low-cost

medical insurance to most Americans over age 65

Medicaid - provides medical and health services to poor Americans of any age.

Immigration Reform Immigration Act of 1965 -replaced immigration quotas with overall limits from various parts of the world.

Immigration rose dramically during the 1960s and 1970s.

QuickTime™ and aSorenson Video 3 decompressorare needed to see this picture.

Johnson’s Foreign Policy Johnson’s Foreign Policy

The Dominican Republic After Communist rebels

attack the country, Johnson sent 22,000 marines to ensure the government not become Communist and they were successful

Vietnam Johnson became deeply

involved in Southeast Asia

U.S. backed South Vietnam against forces wanting a Communist governmenthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=sOYKHY2mBmQ (DR)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wtm9Pr98Bk4 (Vietnam)