John F. Kennedy
By Lauren Miller and David Hunter

Key Terms

Election of 1960

Trade Expansion Act

Peace Corps

Vietnam War

Alliance for Progress

Bay of Pigs

Nuclear Test Ban Treaty

Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
Outline
I.
Life and Death
II.
Change in Culture
III. Influence on US Economy
IV. Military and National Security
V.
Cuba and Soviet Union
VI. Social Equality
Life
 Born into a rich family
 Was a Roman Catholic
 Was the senator of Massachusetts prior to
becoming president
 Went to Harvard
 Youngest man ever to be elected president
Death
 Died on November 22, 1963 while riding in an open
limousine in Dallas, Texas. He was shot in the brain
and died within seconds.
 He was allegedly killed by Lee Harvey Oswald.
 After death, some accused Kennedy of being a
“womanizer” and being involved in relations with
organized crime figures.
Election of 1960
 Kennedy won the election
with 303 electoral votes to
219
 He appealed to workers,
Catholics, and AfricanAmericans
 Even though Kennedy won
the electoral vote, he only
won the popular vote by
118,574 votes out of over 68
million
Change in Culture
 Had high expectations especially for youths
 Influenced a sexual revolution, which was caused
mainly due to the introduction of the pill
 A culture based more around youths
 The beginning of a feminist revolution during his
presidency
Influence on Economy
 Wanted to pass bills for medical assistance for
elders and increased federal financial aid for
education
 Campaigned on revitalizing the economy and was
against inflation
 Kennedy negotiated a non-inflationary wage
agreement in the steel industry
 Stimulated economy by cutting taxes and putting
more money in general public’s hands
Influence on Economy
 Kennedy promoted the multi-billion dollar project
of landing an American on the moon. This
happened $24 billion later, but Kennedy was not
alive.
 Trade Expansion Act in 1962 cut tariffs by up to
50%. It promoted trade with Common Market
countries.
 JFK, in 1963, cut about $11.1 billion in taxes for
individuals and corporations. These proved to
beneficial for US economy.
Military and National Security
 Deployed 1,000 FBI agents for “internal security”
 JFK proposed the Peace Corps, in which the US sent
an army of mostly youthful volunteers to bring
American skills to third world countries
 JFK increased spending on conventional military
forces
Peace Corps

Program was established under
Executive Order 10924 on March 1,
1961

Purpose of the program was to
provide technical assistance and to
help people outside the US
understand US culture and the US to
understand the cultures of other
countries.

The program worked towards social
and economic development.

Opponents of JFK thought the Peace
Corps would be used by Draft
dodgers to avoid going to war.
The Vietnam War
 Corrupt Diem government in Saignon had ruled
since 1954 and was supported by American dollars.
 Communists in Vietnam had begun to revolt against
the democratic government
 In 1961, Kennedy ordered an increased number of
troops in South Vietnam to prevent a communist
revolutionary government from taking over.
 By his death, Kennedy had order 15,000 American
troops to fight in Vietnam
Cuba and the Soviet Union
 Kennedy proposed the 1961 Alliance for Progress
with Cuba.
 The goals of this was to narrow the gap between
the rich and poor, to attempt to quite communists
 JFK wanted Fidel Castro out of power in Cuba. To do
this, JFK wanted the US to invade Cuban with anticommunist exiles. He believed this would trigger an
uprising to get Castro out of power. However, this
did not work out.
Bay of Pigs
 The Bay of Pigs was created by the CIA and organized by
Anti-Castro Cubans.
 April 17th, 1961, 1,200 exiles landed at Cuba’s Bay of Pigs
 This was a failure for the US because most exiles either
died or were ransomed away for drugs.
 JFK’s Bay of Pigs and attempted assassination of Castrol
created high tensions between the US and Cuba. This
caused Cuba to become closer with the Soviet Union.
Bay of Pigs

In October of 1962, American spies
found that the Soviets had nuclear
missiles in Cuba.

On the 22nd, JFK demanded Soviets
leave Cuban and take their nuclear
weapons away.

JFK stated that an attack on the US from
Cuba was an attack from the USSR.

On the 28th, Khrushchev removed the
weapons from Cuba.

As a result, the US removed some
missiles from Turkey that were aimed at
the USSR.
Soviet Union
 August 1963, Kennedy and the Soviets signed the
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. This was an agreement to
stop testing nuclear weapons in the atmosphere.
 August 1963, a Moscow-Washington hotline was
created to increase communication between the US
and USSR
 1963, JFK gave a speech in an attempt to decrease
tension. In his speech, he stated that he supported
positive relations with the Soviet Union.
Civil Rights
 JFK took 2 years to follow his promise of eliminating
racial discrimination in housing.
 JFK was fearful of stimulating a black revolution
because it would lose him support from Southern
Democrats.
 Kennedy created a civil rights bill that was not
passed until after his death.
Social Equality
 JFK proposed the Immigration and Nationality Act
of 1965, but it did not pass until after his death.
 The act shifted emphasis of immigration from
European nations to Latin American and Asian
countries. This allowed these immigrants to come
to the US as easily as European immigrants.
 The selection of immigrants was more based on
reunifying families than meeting per country
quotas.
Social Equality
 JFK worked towards affordable housing and equal
pay for women.
 Promoted integration, but believed it should be
done slowly in order to not enrage the South.