John F. Kennedy

The Election of 1960 The closest since 1884 Kennedy wins by fewer than 119,000 votes First Television Debate

Did You Know? Naval officer in World War II. Received the Pulitzer Prize for his book, "Profiles in Courage." Served exactly 1,000 days Youngest president ever elected. Only Roman Catholic president

Kennedy’s Inaugural Address “ And so, my fellow Americans-ask not what your country can do for you-ask what you can do for your country.”

Any Similarities? “I have never had a president who inspired me the way people tell me that my father inspired them. But for the first time, I believe I have found the man who could be that president — not just for me, but for a new generation of Americans. ” -Caroline Kennedy

The New Frontier’s goal was… To provide medical care for the elderly…. To rebuild blighted urban areas…. Kennedy’s Domestic Program

To aid education…. To bolster the national defense….

To increase international aid…. To expand the space program.

And to promote civil rights To provide volunteer assistance to developing nations

Limited Success of the New Frontier Kennedy did not have support of Congress and could not get his legislation passed. Some successes were: Increase in minimum wage 24 th amendment-outlawed poll tax

Greatest Success was funding and supporting NASA and Space Race “We choose to go to the Moon in this decade, not because they are easy, but because they are hard."[[ 1969: Neil Armstrong lands on the moon

-volunteers sent to give aid to developing countries -2 year commitment

Foreign Policy Flexible response measures other then nuclear weapons could be used to contain communism Key Events or Issues Bay of Pigs Cuban Missile Crisis Berlin Conflict Military advisors to Vietnam

Aims –$1.4 Billion per year sent to South and Central America –Raise incomes and establish democratic governments –Considered a failure Alliance for Progress

Crisis In Cuba Fidel Castro declared himself a communist and welcomed aid from the Soviet Union.

April 1961 CIA trained Cuban exiles invade Cuba to overthrow Castro 68 killed, 1209 captured Huge embarrassment for Kennedy Bay of Pigs Invasion

Berlin Crisis Soviets demand that the US leave Berlin JFK would not be bullied and refused Speech at Berlin Wall to renew America’s commitment to the city an audience of about 150,000 “Ich bin ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner)

Cuban Missile Crisis October 1962, photographs reveal Soviet missile bases in Cuba-and some contained missiles ready to launch.

For a few days, nuclear war and massive destruction was a distinct possibility for every American.

Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missile bases Kennedy’s promise not to invade Cuba. US and Soviets sign Treaty to limit Nuclear Bomb Tests com/history_lect ures/Chapter28/ tar675.htm “We’re eyeball to eyeball, and I think the other fellow just blinked.” -Secretary of State Dean Rusk

Tragedy in Dallas On November 22, 1963, President and Mrs. Kennedy went to Texas to mend political fences with members of the state’s Democratic Party.

As the car approached a state building known as the Texas State Book Depository, rifle shots rang out.

In 1963, the Warren Commission investigated and concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald had shot the president while acting on his own.

On Sunday, Nov. 24, millions watched Oswald being transferred between jails, a nightclub owner named Jack Ruby broke through the crowd and shot and killed Oswald.

Johnson in the White House Upon Kennedy’s death, Vice- President Lyndon Johnson became President of the United States. “I felt from the first day in office that I had to carry on for President Kennedy. I considered myself the caretaker of both his people and his policies.” - President Johnson

Lyndon Bain Johnson 36 th President ( ) Inherited civil unrest dealing with the assassination of a President Civil Rights Movement Vietnam

President Lyndon B. Johnson Johnson was a powerful, Ambitious man. Political Experience He aimed to get things done – The Johnson Treatment

The Great Society LBJ’s legislation to end poverty and discrimination, improve healthcare and education, and aid economic development Similar to Kennedy’s New Frontier Congress passes 206 of his bills The Great Society rests on abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are totally committed in our time. The Great Society is a place where every child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to enlarge his talents. It is a place where the city of man serves not only the needs of the body and the demands of commerce but the desire for beauty and the hunger for community. It is a place where man can renew contact with nature. It is a place which honors creation for its own sake and for what it adds to the understanding of the race

The Battle for Civil Rights has been in progress since the 1860’s Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned discrimination based on race, gender, and religion in all public places & employment Gave Justice Dept. power to bring lawsuits to enforce school desegregation Voting Rights Act of 1965 Guaranteed equal voting rights to African Americans

Based on his Domestic Policy, How would you rate President Johnson?

Vietnam War