Unit 9: The 1950’s & The Cold War

JFK 101 1917-1963 A Senator then a Representative for Massachusetts Served as President from 1961-1963 Assassinated November 22, 1963

JFK and the Economy The Steel Crisis U.S. Steel raised prices by $6 a ton Kennedy threatened to use his power to fix steel prices to curb inflation Kennedy was looked at as being anti-business and the stock market fell sharply in response

JFK and the Economy Taxes Kennedy proposed a huge tax cut to put money in consumers’ hands, but his proposal stalled in Congress

JFK and Fighting Poverty By 1960, 1/5 of Americans were living below the poverty line Kennedy proposed federal education aid for the poor and free medical care for the elderly Both proposals failed in Congress

JFK and Fighting Poverty Things that did pass… Increase in minimum wage Passing of the Housing Act for urban renewal 24th Amendment outlawing the poll tax Passing of the Equal Pay Act

JFK and the Space Program The Mercury Program Goal: place a manned spacecraft into orbit Soviet Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin beat us to the punch in April 1961 May 5, 1961 Astronaut Alan Shepard made it into space but did not orbit the earth In 1962 Astronaut John Glenn completed 3 orbits around the earth

JFK and the Space Program Kennedy proposed landing a man on the moon by 1970 which we achieved in 1969 under the Apollo Program (Apollo 11)

JFK and the Peace Corps Where: Africa, Latin America, Asia How long: no more than 5 years, most people sign up for 2 years What: building / infrastructure projects, agricultural development, medical aid

JFK and the Alliance for Progress The U.S. and the Soviet Union were competing for allies around the world The U.S. wanted to focus on keeping the Western Hemisphere free of Communism Kennedy pledged to help provide basic needs to these countries Food, water, shelter, clothing, defense, education, and economic development

Other Important JFK Initiatives The largest and fastest defense buildup in peacetime history Allowed people to draw on Social Security at age 62 Construction of world’s largest nuclear power plant in Hanford, WA Signing of the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Prohibited above ground nuclear testing

Kennedy Inaugural Watch the speech and while watching, list goals for the following: 1. Foreign Policy 2. Domestic Policy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEC1C4p0k3E

John F. Kennedy What kind of president was JFK? What should his legacy be? Use the reading to answer the questions