Presidents from 1953 - 1977

US Presidents 1953 - 1977 Dwight D. Eisenhower (1953-61) John F. Kennedy (1961-63) Lyndon Johnson (1963-69) Richard Nixon (1969-74) Gerald Ford (1974-77)

Dwight D. Eisenhower 1953 – 1961 Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in WWII Election of 1952 Republican candidate versus Adlai Stevenson (Dem.) Wins in landslide on policy of interventionism

Dwight D. Eisenhower ‘Dynamic conservatism’ Disengaged US from Korea (while maintaining strict anti- communist position) Highway Act (1956) Articulated the ‘domino theory’ Eisenhower Doctrine Provided $1 billion in aid to S. Vietnam pre – war Re-elected in 1956

John F. Kennedy 1961 – 1963 Election of 1960 Democratic nominee Chose LBJ as running mate to gain support in South Opposed Repub. Richard Nixon First televised debates Close pop. vote, but Kennedy wins electorate 303 to 219 First Catholic in White House!

John F. Kennedy Foreign Policy Domestic Assassination Bay of Pigs (1961) Cuban missile crisis (1962) Escalated US’s role in Vietnam Domestic “New Frontier” Expanded funding for education and social services Presided over country’s first non-war, non-recession deficit Proposed moon landing by end of decade (60s) Assassination Shot by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas in Nov. 1963

Lyndon Johnson 1963 – 1969 Sworn in on Air Force One in Nov. 1963 after Kennedy assassination ‘Great Society’ Expand Civil Rights and social services ‘War on Poverty’ Civil Rights Act 1964 Voting Rights Act 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act 1965

Lyndon B. Johnson Foreign Policy Escalated involvement in Vietnam (beginning 1964) Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Failing support as war and violence at home (race riots) increase Watts (1965) MLK Assassination Riots (1968)

Richard Nixon 1969 – 1974 1968 Election ‘New Federalism’ Repub. Nixon wins over Hubert Humphrey ‘New Federalism’ Give power to the states (few of policies enacted) Integration of US public schools Re-elected 1972

Richard Nixon Pulls US out of Vietnam (1973) Enacts policy of détente with Soviets Watergate Orchestrated spying on political opponents Spiro Agnew (VP) resigns 1973 Nixon resigns in 1974 under certain impeachment

Gerald Ford Republican Served remainder of Nixon’s term Pardoned Nixon Faced high inflation in US economy Passed “Education for All Handicapped Children” bill in 1975 Continued Nixon’s policy of détente with Soviets Loses election of 1976 to Jimmy Carter (Democrat)