1. John F. Kennedy

2. The Election of 1960 The election of 1960 was the closest since
1884; Kennedy
defeated Richard
Nixon by fewer than
119,000 votes.
Clip Debate

3. Did You Know?
• He was a decorated naval officer in World War II. • He received the Pulitzer Prize for his book, "Profiles in Courage." • He served exactly 1,000 days in office. • He was the first president born in the 20th century and the youngest president ever elected.
He is the only Roman
Catholic president
He could read words a minute.

4. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address
Kennedy was the youngest person ever to be elected president. His
youth helped provide the theme to his inaugural address:
“Let the word go forth…
That the torch has been
passed to a new
generation of Americans…
The energy, the faith, the
devotion which we bring
to this endeavor will light
our country and all who
serve it…And so, my fellow
Americans-ask not what
your country can do for
you-ask what you can do
for your country.”
Ask not...speech

5. The Camelot Years With JFK’s youthful glamour and his talented
advisors, the
Kennedy White
House reminded
many of a modern-
day Camelot, the
mythical court of
King Arthur.

6. Kennedy and the Cold War
During the Kennedy Administration, ongoing tensions with the Soviet Union led to crises over Cuba and West Berlin. To contain communism and stay ahead of the Soviet Union in technology,
President Kennedy created aid programs for developing nations and expanded
the space program.
John Kennedy meeting with Nikita Khrushchev in Vienna, June, 1961

7. Crisis Over Cuba The first test of Kennedy’s
foreign policy came in Cuba,
just 90 miles off the coast of
Florida. Revolutionary leader,
Fidel Castro, openly declared
himself a communist and
welcomed aid from the
Soviet Union.

8. The Bay of Pigs On the nights of April 17,1961, some 1500 Cuban exiles
supported by the U.S. military
landed on the island’s
southern coast at Baja de
Cochinos, the Bay of Pigs. The
CIA and the exiles hoped it
would trigger a mass uprising
that would overthrow Castro.
It didn’t! Cuban forces, backed
by Soviet tanks and jet aircraft,
easily repelled the exile invasion.
Some of the exiles were killed,
others imprisoned.

9. Cuban Missile Crisis In October, 1962, photographs taken
by American planes
revealed Soviet
missile bases in
Cuba-and some
contained missiles
ready to launch.
They could reach
U.S. cities in
minutes.
Kennedy Addresses the Nation

10. On October 22,
Kennedy ordered
a naval blockade
of Cuba to prevent
further deliveries
of Soviet weapons.
He also demanded
that the Soviets
remove the missiles.
Khrushchev promised to
challenge the blockade,
calling it “outright banditry.”

11. For a few days, nuclear war and massive destruction was a
distinct possibility for every American. In schools, children
practiced air raid drills, a common occurrence during the Cold
War. People who had built bomb shelters began stocking
them with food and other provisions. Even the president called
his family to the White House where they could be protected in
the presidential nuclear shelter. Do it Yourself Fallout Shelter

13. Suddenly, on October 24, many of the Soviet ships stopped short
of the blockade line, turned, and sailed home. “We’re eyeball to
eyeball,” said Secretary of State Dean Rusk, “and I think the
other fellow just blinked.” On October 28 Khrushchev agreed
to dismantle the missile bases in response to Kennedy’s promise
not to invade Cuba.

14. Kennedy and Berlin One of the high points of Kennedy’s foreign
travels was a trip he
made to Berlin in 1963
to dramatize America’s
commitment to West
Berlin and West Germany.
In a speech at the Berlin
Wall, Kennedy electrified
an audience of about 150,000
Germans by stating , “Ich bin
ein Berliner” (I am a Berliner),
thus declaring the solidarity of
all free people with the people
of West Berlin.
Ich bin ein Berliner Speech

15. Kennedy and the New Frontier
Can Government Fix Society?
President John F. Kennedy and
President Lyndon B. Johnson
supported programs intended
to end poverty and racism at
home and promote democracy
abroad. The War on Poverty
and the Great Society programs
marked the greatest increase in
the federal government’s role
in society since the New Deal.
Kennedy’s aid programs for
developing nations also marked
a dramatic shift in American
foreign policy towards promoting
economic development abroad.
President Kennedy shakes hands with future President of the United States Bill Clinton

16. The New Frontier President Kennedy’s legislative program to
provide medical care
for the elderly….
To rebuild blighted
urban areas….

17. To aid education….
To bolster the national
defense….

18. To increase
international aid….
To expand the space
program.
JFK and Moon Landing

19. To provide volunteer
assistance to developing
nations in Asia, Africa,
and Latin America.
And to promote civil rights.

20. Warren Court Reforms A sampling of major decisions of the Warren Court
Under Chief Justice Earl Warren,
the Supreme Court issued a number
of decisions that altered the voting
system, expanded due process, and
reinterpreted aspects of the First
Amendment.
A sampling of major decisions of the Warren Court
Civil Rights
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Declared segregation in public schools unconstitutional
Due Process
Mapp v. Ohio (1961) Ruled that unlawfully seized evidence cannot be used in a trial
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) Established suspect’s right to court-appointed attorney if
suspects were unable to afford one
Escobedo v. Illinois (1964) Affirmed right of the accused to an attorney during police
questioning
Miranda v. Arizona (1966) Required police to inform suspects of their rights during the
arrest process
Freedom of Speech and Religion
Engel v. Vitale (1962) Banned state-mandated prayer in public schools
Abington School District v. Schempp (1963) Banned state-mandated Bible reading in public schools

21. Tragedy in Dallas
In the fall of 1963, public opinion polls showed that Kennedy was losing popularity because of his advocacy of civil rights. On November 22,
1963, President and
Mrs. Kennedy went
to Texas to mend
political fences with
members of the
state’s Democratic
Party.

22. Crowds lined the
streets of Dallas
to greet the
President. In front
of them sat Texas
Governor John
Connally and his
wife Nellie.

23. As the car approached a state building known as the Texas State Book
Depository, rifle shots rang out.

24. Kennedy was
shot in the head.
His car raced to
a nearby
hospital, where
doctors
frantically tried
to revive him,
but it was too
late. President
dead.
News of Kennedy Assassination

25. Commission investigated and concluded that Lee Harvey Oswald
In 1963, the Warren
Commission investigated
and concluded that
Lee Harvey Oswald
had shot the president
while acting on his own.
Lee Harvey Oswald
Chief Justice Earl Warren presenting the Warren Report to President Johnson

26. On Sunday, Nov. 24,
as millions watched
live television
coverage of Oswald
being transferred
between jails, a
nightclub owner
named Jack Ruby
broke through the
crowd and shot and
killed Oswald.
Jack Ruby is Shot