The New Frontier and the Great Society Kennedy and Johnson Domestic Policies

The New Frontier Kennedy sought to provide medical care for the aged Rebuild urban areas Aid education Enhance the space program Met with Republican and Southern Democrat coalition in Congress Lacked popular mandate: clear voter approval

The New Frontier Stimulating the Economy Building National Defense Providing International Aid Bolstering the Space Program

Stimulating the Economy By 1960, America was in a recession Unemployment 6% Kennedy’s proposal included deficit spending to stimulate economic growth Lowering taxes Increase minimum wage Extend unemployment insurance Assistance to cities with high unemployment

Building National Defense 20% budget increase for nuclear missiles, nuclear submarines and expansion of armed services

Providing International Aid Peace Corps: A program of volunteer assistance to Asia, Africa and Latin America Many volunteers just out of college Huge success; agricultural workers, teachers, health aids By 1968, more than 35,000 volunteers in 60 nations

The Peace Corps

Providing International Aid continued… Alliance for Progress: offered economic and technical assistance to Latin American Countries Between 1961-1969, the US invested almost $12 billion in Latin America Deter Castro’s influence

Announcing the Alliance for Progress

Bolstering the Space Program April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin became the first man in space Americans couldn’t believe they had lost the space race Less than a month later, Alan Shepard took Freedom 7 into space Kennedy saw this as a challenge; Americans would be the first to walk on the moon

The Soviets Go to Space

Bolstering the Space Program NASA (America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration) constructed new launch facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida and Houston, Texas July 20, 1969 Americans sent the first man to the moon Space program boosted science programs Federal funding for new technologies and industry (used as consumer goods and for business )

Domestic Problems White flight Urban poor; The Other America Civil rights battles Racial injustice in the South Civil Rights bill and $10 billion tax cut

Tragedy in Dallas November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas Kennedy was shot in the head by Lee Harvey Oswald Lee Harvey Oswald Killed by Jack Ruby Unanswered Questions The Warren Commission: put together to determine if the assassination was a conspiracy At first, the commission believed Oswald acted alone In 1979, it was concluded Oswald was part of a conspiracy Unanswered questions still permeate

Oswald Killed by Ruby

A Nation Mourns

Lyndon Baines Johnson Becomes President in the Midst of Tragedy The Great Society Lyndon Baines Johnson Becomes President in the Midst of Tragedy

Lyndon Baines Johnson

The Great Society Lyndon Baines Johnson Career politician Elected to Congress in 1937 Senate in 1948 Senate majority leader in 1955 Idolized FDR and his leadership style Legendary ability to persuade support for bills Passage of Civil Rights Bill of 1957 (first voting rights measure since Reconstruction) Passage of Civil Rights Act of 1964

Johnson’s First Days in Office

The War on Poverty Economic Opportunity Act: approving nearly $1 billion for youth programs, anti-poverty measures, small business loans and job training Job Corps Youth Training Program VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America) Project Head Start, an education program for underprivileged preschoolers The Community Action Program, a program that encouraged poor people to participate in public works program

1964 Election Johnson vs. Goldwater Goldwater was a conservative senator (AZ) Attacked social security, gov’t funded programs and wanted to sell the Tennessee Valley Authority Suggested using nuclear weapons on Cuba and North Vietnam LBJ’s campaign capitalized on fear; television commercial Won by a landslide; Democrats had majority in Congress

LBJ’s Daisy Girl Ad

Building the Great Society In a speech given at the University of Michigan, Johnson outlined his domestic vision for America Education Healthcare Housing Immigration The Environment Consumer Protection

Education Education: “the key which can unlock the door to the Great Society” Elementary and Secondary Education Act: $1 billion in federal aid to help public and parochial schools purchase textbooks and new library materials

Healthcare Medicare: hospital insurance and low-cost medical insurance for almost every American 65 and older Medicaid: Extended healthcare to welfare recipients

Medicare

Housing Appropriating money to build 240,000 units of low-rent housing Establish Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Appointed first African American cabinet member as Secretary of HUD (Robert Weaver)

Immigration Immigration Act and National Origins Act of 1924 established immigration quotas and discriminated against people Barred Asians completely, southern and eastern Europeans Immigration Act of 1965: A law that increased the number of immigrants and ended the quota based on nationality

The Environment Silent Spring: a book by Rachel Carson exposing the dangers of pesticides on the environment Water Quality Act of 1965: required states to clean up their rivers Ordered the government to search out the worst chemical polluters Triggered the environmental movement

Rachel Carson Silent Spring

Consumer Protection Truth in Packaging laws firmed Safety standards for cars and tires Ralph Nader: Unsafe at Any Speed Wholesome Meat Act of 1967

The Warren Court Chief Justice Earl Warren Activist stance on leading issues Deemed too liberal Deemed soft on crime Banned state-sanctioned prayer public schools Declared loyalty oaths unconstitutional Limited the power of communities to censor books and films Black armbands=free speech

Chief Justice Warren

The Warren Court continued… Reapportionment: the way states redraw election districts based on changing number of people in them Baker vs. Carr (1962): One person, one vote Shifted political power from rural to urban areas

Warren Court continued… Rights of the accused Mapp vs. Ohio: evidence seized illegally could not be used in court “Exclusionary rule” Gideon vs. Wainwright: Free legal counsel to those who could not afford it Escobedo vs. Illinois: Right to a lawyer present during questioning Miranda vs. Arizona: Suspect must be read their rights

Miranda vs. Arizona

Impact of the Great Society War on Poverty was successful 21% to 11% in ten years Tax cut spurred the economy Deficit grew Power of the federal government See chart on page #690