1. The Election of 1960
Closest Presidential election in American history- Kennedy won by 0.17% of the vote
First Presidential debates to be televised
Both candidates were neither Conservative nor Liberal- both politicians were moderate and few issues set them apart
What Kennedy lacked in substance, made up in style- helped him win the public over in the T.V. age
Indication of voter fraud in Illinois and Texas- Nixon was praised as acting professionally and with dignity for halting investigation and conceding defeat

2. John Fitzgerald Kennedy
From wealthy and prominent Irish-
Catholic family from Massachusetts
Father Joseph Kennedy Sr. was demanding and expected near perfection from all his children
As a child- JFK was chronically sick and suffered from an undiagnosed illness – Addison’s Disease
Graduated from Harvard in 1940
Joined U.S. Navy- served in Pacific Theater – Purple Heart and Navy’s highest honor for courage
Authored Two books – Why England Slept and Profiles in Courage (Won Pulitzer Prize)
Congressman from
Senator

3. Richard Milhous Nixon Born in California, Second of Five children –
Working class Quaker Family
Accepted to Harvard but family was too poor to afford the expenses- Full scholarship to nearby Whittier College
Full Scholarship to Duke University Law School
Moved to Washington D.C. in Worked for Roosevelt’s Administration – became disillusioned with New Deal policies
Served in the Navy during WW2- worked in administrative role, saw no combat
Congressman- House of Reps. – : built name for himself as anti-communist cold warrior, Senator,
Vice-President – picked to appeal to conservative Republicans to balance out the moderate Eisenhower

4. Key Points of the election:
Kennedy:
Nixon:
Kennedy was young and ill experienced
While Russia and China were pressing, it would be bad to have a president learning on the job
America benefited greatly under Eisenhower, Vote for Nixon if you want a continuation of prosperity, stability, and security
JFK hoped to pull together key elements of the Roosevelt coalition of the 1930s— urban minorities, ethnic voting blocs, and organized labor.
Eisenhower had been asleep at the wheel- Soviet Union possessed a lead in technology and America was behind in the “Missile Gap”
Complacent after years of Eisenhower’s consensus building- America neededa revitalization of will, purpose, and spirit

6. Eisenhower’s Fair-well Address
Towards the end of his presidency, Ike had been frustrated with his inability to control cold war military build up and consolidation of large corporations
Coined term “military industrial complex”
Brought attention to concerns he had about the rising influence of and cost of the military arms industry
Permanent military industries- designing and producing weaponry- weapons contracts also meant jobs for constituencies
Thought it was vital, but grew concerned of its growth and blamed communism for its existence
Video Speech-
Speech
PBS-
NPR Eisenhower’s warning 50 years later