Standard and Objective Stand 1: American History Concept 9: Postwar United States PO 2: Describe aspects of American post-World War II domestic policy: C. Supreme Court Decisions Students will interpret the changes brought about during Kennedy’s presidency by applying their knowledge of major supreme court decisions.

The New Frontier The Election of 1960

John Kennedy vs Richard Nixon September 26th, 1960 -first ever televised presidential debate between Kennedy and Nixon Both Parties spent millions of dollars on radio and television spots News commentator, Eric Sevareid complained that the candidates had become “packaged products”

Anyone Remember Alfred Smith? He was the CATHOLIC nominee from the 1928 election and lost because of it Kennedy was also Catholic and that made people very nervous again since there had never been a Catholic president before Kennedy made a speech where he said: “I believed in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute…”

Kennedy Barely Won “Ask not what your country can do for you -ask what you can do for your country” When he took office he started what he called “The New Frontier” He wanted to make changes such as an increase in aid to education and health care for the elderly

The Usual Struggles of a President Was able to boost the economy by creating jobs through the space program and defense spending Congress refused to pass many bills Kennedy tried to pass such as lowering taxes, health insurance for senior citizens, and aid to education

Expanding Women’s Rights 1961 -Kennedy created the Presidential Commision on the Status of Women Worked to end discrimination against women Equal Pay Act -1963 Kennedy, however, never appointed any women to his cabinet

Let’s Review: What are the major differences so far between the Kennedy and Eisenhower presidencies? What do you think are the reasons for the differences?

Rosemary Kennedy Was the eldest daughter of Joseph and Rose Kennedy The sister of John F. Kennedy Was mentally disabled and struggled with school and to be accepted Her father, Joseph Kennedy was the U.S. ambassador to England until WWII

What Happened to Her? She did ok while in England but when her family had to move back to the U.S. she became more erratic She threw fits, had seizures and didn’t do well She was a beautiful woman and her father was afraid that she would get pregnant out of wedlock He decided to lobotomize her. She lost her ability to speak, walk, do much of anything on her own

What Good Came Out of This? Eunice Kennedy Shriver -Rosemary’s sister After seeing what happened to her sister, Eunice became a strong advocate for people with special needs When John became president, Eunice successfully lobbied for government funded research and institutions for the disabled Eunice took on the full care of Rosemary and is the founder of the special Olympics

The Warren Court Reforms Chief Justice Earl Warren made rulings that greatly changed American Society One of the major rulings was Baker v. Carr in 1962 -This gave federal courts jurisdiction to hear lawsuits forcing states to redraw electoral districts The other was Reynolds v. Sims in 1964 -This ruled that states had to reapportion electoral districts along the lines of “one person, one vote”

Due Process There were several court cases protecting the rights of citizens The Bill of Rights only applied to the Federal Government -States had their own bill of rights The Supreme Court started using the Fourteenth Amendment to extend the Bill of Rights to the states This is when it was ruled that a defendant had the right to a lawyer regardless of the ability to pay

Miranda Rights Miranda v. Arizona - Yay, Arizona! Right to remain silent; anything you say can and will be used against you, and you have the right to a lawyer

In God We Trust “In God We Trust” -1957 “One Nation Under God” -1954 Both products of Eisenhower’s presidency Because of the Red Scare

Separation of Church and State Engel v. Vitale -1962 Ruled that states could not compose official prayers and require those prayers to be recited in schools Abington School District v. Schempp -1963 Ruled against state-mandated Bible readings in public schools

Right to Privacy Griswold v. Connecticut -1965 Ruled that prohibiting the sale, use, and advocation of birth control violated citizens’ constitutional right to privacy

Well That Was a Lot! Please discuss with a neighbor one of the following topics below: Televised presidential debates Religion of the president Any part of the Rosemary Kennedy story Any of the Due Process supreme court decisions Separation of church and state and privacy Please be respectful in your discussions. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so listen closely and respond thoughtfully.