The New Frontier & The Great Society Chapter 28: The New Frontier & The Great Society President John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address - YouTube

Section 1: Kennedy & The Cold War -The Kennedy administration faced some of the most dangerous Soviet confrontations in American history.   -The economy was in a recession. -The Space race was on

A New Military Policy -JFK thought that Ike’s administration had not done enough about the Soviet threat & blasted the Republicans for allowing communism to develop in Cuba. -Flexible Response: strengthening & modernizing the military’s ability to fight a nuclear war.

Crises Over Cuba -JFK’s 1st day of foreign policy became his first test. -About 2 weeks before JFK took office, Ike had cut off diplomatic relations with Cuba b/c of revolutionary leader named Fidel Castro. -1956-59: Castro overthrew the Cuban gov’t and declared himself a communist & welcomed aid from the Soviets. -The U.S. was suspicious, but nevertheless recognized the new gov’t.

Cuban Missile Crisis - Nikita Khrushchev promised to defend Cuba with Soviet arms. -Summer 1962: flow of Soviet weapons, including nuclear missiles, to Cuba increased greatly. -Photos taken in October by American planes revealed Soviet missile bases in Cuba. -JFK informed the nation of the existence of the Soviet missile sites & his plan to remove them.

Cuban Missile Crisis -Soviet ships carry more missiles headed toward Cuba, while the U.S. navy prepared to prevent the ships from coming within 500 miles of Cuba. -Soviet ships stopped suddenly to avoid a confrontation at sea. -Khrushchev offered to remove missiles in return for U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba. -Secretly, the U.S. also agreed to remove missiles from Turkey. Cuban Missile Crisis - YouTube

Section 2: The New Frontier -While JFK had trouble getting his ideas for a New Frontier passed, several goals were achieved.   -New Frontier: legislative program which included proposals to provide medical care for the elderly, rebuild blighted urban areas, aid education, bolster national defense, increase international aid, & expand the space program.

-Peace Corps: program of volunteer assistance to the developing nations of Asia, Africa, & Latin America.   -Alliance for Progress: offered economic & technical assistance to Latin American countries. -April 1961: Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the 1st human in space. -JFK wanted to surpass space & land on the moon. The Great Space Race - YouTube   -In 1963, JFK began to focus more closely on the issues at home.

Tragedy in Dallas -22 Nov. 1963: as JFK was in TX, he was shot in the head. -VP Lyndon Johnson took oath of office on flight back to Washington, DC. -24 yr. old Lee Harvey Oswald, a Marine, was charged. Vice President Lyndon Johnson becomes president.

Section 3: The Great Society -The demand for reform helped create a new awareness of social problems, especially on matters of Civil Rights and the effects of poverty. LBJ was great at persuading people on issues (AKA: “The Master of the Senate”.)

LBJ Great Society Reforms -July 1964: LBJ pushed through the Civil Rights Act of 1964: prohibited discrimination & gave federal gov’t new powers to enforce it. -Aug 1964: Congress enacted the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA): approved nearly $1 billion for youth programs, antipoverty measures, small business loans, & job training.

Building the Great Society The 1964 Election -Barry Goldwater (Rep) of AZ believed that the federal gov’t had no business trying to right social & economic wrong. -suggested he might use nuclear weapons on Cuba & North Vietnam. (High Quality) Famous "Daisy" Attack Ad from 1964 Presidential Election – YouTube Building the Great Society -Great Society: LBJ’s program to reduce poverty & racial injustice & to promote a better quality of life in the U.S. -By the time LBJ left the White House in 1969, Congress passed 206 of his measures.

The Great Society Reforms -Medicare: provided hospital insurance & low-cost medical insurance for almost everyone age 65+. -Medicaid: extended health insurance to welfare recipients.   -Immigration Act of 1965: opened the door for many non-EU immigrants to settle in the U.S. by ending quotas based on nationality. -Water Quality Act of 1965: required states to clean up rivers.   -Truth-in-Packaging Law: set the standards for labeling consumer foods. -Wholesome Meat Act of 1967: set new safety standards for meat.

Impact of the Great Society -Massive extension of the power & reach of the federal gov’t. -The “war on poverty” did help. -Many of LBJ’s proposals, though well intended, were hastily conceived & proved difficult to accomplish. -LBJ’s massive tax cut spurred the economy, but funding the Great Society contributed to a growing budget deficit. -The increase of Communist Forces in Vietnam soon began to overshadow the goals of the Great Society.