THE NEW FRONTIER Key Figures

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: SS.912.A.6.5 Explain the impact of World War II on domestic government policy SS.912.A.6.13 Analyze significant foreign policy events during the Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, and Nixon administrations SS.912.A.6.14 Analyze causes, course, and consequences of the Vietnam War SS.912.A.7.1 Identify causes for Post-World War II prosperity and its effects on American society SS.912.A.7.4 Evaluate the success of 1960s era presidents' foreign and domestic policies. SS.912.A.7.10 Analyze the significance of Vietnam and Watergate on the government and people of the United States SS.912.A.7.13 Analyze the attempts to extend New Deal legislation through the Great Society and the successes and failures of these programs to promote social and economic stability.

Post WWII Prosperity Dwight D. Eisenhower: 34th President of the United States Signed into law the Interstate Highway act Held the first summit to try and ease nuclear tensions; promoted “Atoms for Peace,” which was a plan to use nuclear science for peaceful purposes Established NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Agency), an independent, government agency in charge of the U.S. space program

The Space Race John F. Kennedy: 35th President of the United States Committed the nation to the goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade Created the Peace Corp by executive order Successfully negotiated a nuclear test ban treaty Von Braun and Kennedy

The Space Race Werner von Braun: One of the most important German weapons specialists to work on rocketry and jet propulsion in the U.S. after WWII Became technical director of the U.S. Army Ordnance Guided Missile Project Chiefly responsible for rocketry for the nation's space program

The Space Race Alan Shepard: First American in Space John Glenn: First American to orbit the Earth Became a US Senator Went to space a second time on the US Space Shuttle Discovery Alan Shepard John Glenn

The Space Race Neil Armstrong: First man on the moon Quoted: “The Eagle has landed;” and “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind” Buzz Aldrin: Second man on the moon Neil Armstrong Buzz Aldrin

The Space Race Sergei Korolev: Founder of the Soviet space program Turned rocket weapons into an instrument of space exploration Yuri Gagarin: Soviet cosmonaut who was the first person to travel in space Sergei Korolev Yuri Gagarin

The Great Society Lyndon B. Johnson: 36th President of the United States Passed bills that supported urban renewal, education, the arts, environmental beautification and conservation, and the development of depressed regions in the country Also passed Medicare and Medicaid acts and the Voting Rights Act

The Great Society Barry Goldwater: 1964 Republican contender against LBJ for presidency Platform included lessening federal involvement, therefore opposing Civil Rights Act of 1964 Lost by largest margin in history

The Cuban Missile Crisis John F. Kennedy: 35th President of the United States Authorized a covert mission to overthrow Fidel Castro known as the Bay of Pigs Invasion Blockaded the island of Cuba to prevent the installation of Soviet missiles Sent military advisors to Vietnam under auspices of MACV (Military Assistance Command, Vietnam) Assassinated in 1963

The Cuban Missile Crisis Fidel Castro: Orchestrated the Cuban Revolution His military and economic relations with the Soviet Union led to strained relations with the United States that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis

The Cuban Missile Crisis Nikita Khrushchev: Premier of the Soviet Union Built the Berlin Wall Placed nuclear missiles in Cuba Agreed to remove missiles if US promised not to attack Cuba

The Cuban Missile Crisis Gary Powers: An American pilot whose Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) U-2 spy plane was shot down while flying a reconnaissance mission in Soviet Union airspace causing the 1960 U-2 incident Led to strained relations between the US and Soviet Union

The Cuban Missile Crisis ExComm (Executive Committee of the National Security Council): Group of twelve men that advised the president on what action to take regarding the installation of missiles in Cuba Some Kennedy to invade Cuba; others advised to “quarantine” the island Included Robert F. Kennedy, Robert McNamara, Dean Rusk, Lyndon B. Johnson and John McCone

The Vietnam War Lyndon B. Johnson: 36th President of the United States Promised to honor John F. Kennedy’s limited U.S. commitments in Vietnam Escalated the war after the Congress passed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution Authorized Operation Rolling Thunder to bomb North Vietnam into submission

The Vietnam War Richard M. Nixon: 37th President of the United States Orchestrated the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam Engaged in a policy of Vietnamization Secretly expanded the scope of the war by authorizing illegal military actions in Cambodia and Laos Resigned after the Watergate scandal

The Vietnam War Ho Chi Minh: Led Vietnamese Communist party in struggle for liberation from French and U.S. dominance Fought to unify north and south Vietnam

The Vietnam War Ngo Dinh Diem: Leader of South Vietnam Supported by United States, but not by Vietnamese Buddhist Assassinated in 1963

The Vietnam War Students for a Democratic Society (SDS): American student organization that flourished in the mid-to-late 1960s and was known for its activism against the Vietnam War Tactics included the occupation of university and college administration buildings on campuses across the country