Ch 15 The New Frontier &
The Great Society
1960-1963
The Election of 1960
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Senator John F. Kennedy (D) Mass. Vs
Vice- President Richard M. Nixon (R)
People worried about JKF’ youth and his
religion (Roman Catholic)
First Televised Debates – Sept .1960
JFK’ look and confidence impressed
voters
JFK and RFK gained African American
voters in their efforts to free Dr. MKL
from jail
JFK won the 1960 election by less than
119,000 votes
JFK Vs Richard Nixon
The Kennedy Mystique
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Wit and Charm bolstered the image
Camelot in Washington
Jackie, John, and Caroline
The Kennedy Cabinet
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“The Best and the Brightest”
McGeorge Bundy – NSA
Robert McNamara – Secretary of Defense
Dean Rusk Sec. of State
RFK- Attorney
General
The New Frontier
JFK lacked a mandate after the
election
 Many proposals he sent to Congress
were shot down: Medicare, Federal
Aid to Education, Public Housing,
Increased Social Security, higher
minimum wage, and anti-poverty
measures
 Southern Democrats and
Republicans blocked many plans
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New Frontier Victories
Economy – JFK pushed through
the use of deficit spending (FDR)
 Minimum Wage increase to $1.25 HR
 Lowered taxes on businesses and
targeted tax cuts for individuals
 He lowered tariffs to increase
International Trade
 In 1961 and 62 he intervened in the
steel industry to keep wages low and
management to lower price
increases
New Frontier Victories II
 Peace Corps – 35,000 volunteers in 60
nations
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Alliance for Progress – offered
economic and technical assistance to
Latin American countries (12 billion in
aid)
New Frontier-Race to the Moon
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In April, 1961 the USSR put the first man
in space, Yuri Gagarin ( Alan Sheppard)
JKF increased funding to NASA, $33
billion by 1969
Cape Canaveral and Houston Space
Center were built
JFK pledged to go to the moon by the end
of the 1960’s
Universities expanded science programs,
new industries and technologies emerged
Space Industries in the Southern and
Western US
Domestic Focus
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By 1963 JFK sent a Civil Rights Bill to
Congress
He called for “a national assault on the
causes of poverty” (Harrington’s The
Other America)
RFK was ordered to investigate racial
injustices in the South
Presidential Commission on the status of
Women – Equal Pay Act of 1963
Community Mental Health Centers
Construction Act 1963- Led to the Special
Olympics in 1968.
He proposed $10 billion in new tax cuts
The Warren Court
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Chief Justice Earl Warren
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Brown vs. The Board of Education – 1954
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Banned Segregation in public schools
Banned state sanctioned prayer in public
schools
Declared Loyalty Oaths unconstitutional
Baker Vs Carr 1962 and Reynolds Vs
Simms 1964 stated that Federal Courts
could tell states to redivide their districts
for more equal representation
(Reapportionment – the drawing of
election districts) “One Person, one Vote.”
Rights of the Accused
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Mapp Vs Ohio (1961) Evidence seized
illegally could not be used in state courts
Gideon Vs Wainwright ( 1963) Free legal
council to those who cannot afford it
Escobedo Vs Illinois (1964) Accused
person has the right for a lawyer to be
present during questioning
Miranda Vs Arizona ( 1966) All suspects
must have their rights read
Liberals praised the decisions,
Conservatives hated the decisions
because they impeded police officers
Kennedy and The Cold
War
1960-1963
JFK’s Military Policy
Kennedy built up the conventional and
nuclear weapons systems to deter the
USSR and to close the missile gap with
the Soviets
 Between 1960-1962 military spending
increased 30%, $43 billion to $56 billion
 The Special Forces or Green Berets were
created
 Kennedy expanded the CIA and
and Black Operations
* He wanted a Flexible Response
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The Bay Of Pigs Invasion
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Fidel Castro had led a revolution in Cuba
and seized power from Batista in 1959
JFK learned of a CIA planned approved by
IKE to train Cuban exiles and allow them
to attack Cuba, and overthrow Castro
In April 1961, 1,500 Cuban exiles never
reached the beach
The air strike failed and Castro waited
with 25,000 troops and Soviet Weapons
Kennedy, CIA, and the US were
embarrassed on the world stage, total
fiasco
The Berlin Crisis
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In 1961 Khrushchev and JKF met in
Vienna, Austria
JKF felt he looked weak and second best
Khrushchev threatened to force the
Western powers out of West Berlin
3 million East Germans had fled to West
Berlin since the end of WWII
JFK told Americans we stay in Berlin
August 13th, 1961 Khrushchev responded
by allowing East Germany to construct
The Berlin Wall
The Cuban Missile Crisis
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In the summer of 1962 the Khrushchev
began shipping Soviet Offensive Nuclear
Missiles to Castro In Cuba
The US had Offensive Missiles in Turkey
In October 1962 U-2 Spy planes took
pictures of the weapons that could reach
the US in minutes and destroy American
cities
Kennedy’s Options
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Invade Cuba? Soviet Troops were present
Bomb the Sites? Sneak Attack?
Naval Blockade around Cuba, or a
“Quarantine”
JFK Addresses the Nation
Brink of Nuclear War
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The US was on DEFCON 3, 100,000 US
troops readied in Florida to invade Cuba
The Naval Blockade was in place around
Cuba
The Soviet Cargo Ships stormed to the
blockade, but then turned around
Days later Khrushchev pledged to remove
the missiles if we pledged not to invade
Cuba, and secretly months later we
removed our missiles from Turkey
RFK was instrumental in dealing with the
Soviet ambassador
Outcomes of the Crisis
Khrushchev prestige was damaged,
JFK looked stronger, but he was
criticized for brinksmanship
 The Hot-line was established
between Washington/Moscow
 JFK wanted to relax Cold War
Tensions
 In 1962 the US and the USSR agreed
to the Limited Test Ban Treaty which
banned nuclear testing in the
atmosphere
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Tragedy in Dallas
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On November 22nd 1963, JFK was shot
and killed while riding with Jackie and
Gov. Connally through Dallas, TX
Lee Harvey Oswald a disgruntled exMarine who lived in the USSR for a time
was charged with the crime
Oswald was later killed by nightclub
owner Jack Ruby
LBJ took the oath of office on Air Force
One
The Warren Commission investigated and
found Oswald acted alone (Magic Bullet)
Who Killed JFK?
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The Committee on Assassinations
revealed in 1979 that Oswald was part of
a larger conspiracy
Anti- Castro Cubans? (Bay of Pigs)
Castro?
CIA?
Military Generals? (War in Vietnam)
Communist Sponsored attack?
The Mafia? (RFK’s Investigations?)
Was there someone on the grassy knoll?
Were JFK’s wounds altered?
LBJ The Great
Society
1963-1968
Essential Questions:
 What political path led LBJ to the
White House?
 What were the goals of the Great
Society?
 What were some of the major
programs of the Great Society?
 What was the short term and
long term impact of Great Society
programs?
LBJ’s Path to Power
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LBJ ran for Congress as a “New Dealer” in
1937
In 1948 LBJ won a seat in the US Senate
LBJ was a master of party politics and
behind the scenes political maneuvering
LBJ efforts helped the Civil Rights Act of
1957 to be passed
LBJ was JFK running mate in 1960
After JFK’s assassination LBJ urged
Congress to pass the civil rights and taxcut bills that JFK had sent to Congress
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In Feb. 1964 Congress
passed a tax cut which
spurred economic
growth and lowered the
budget deficit
In July, LBJ pushed
through the Civil Rights
Act of 1964 which
prohibited discrimination
based on race, religion,
sex, and gave the federal
government new powers
of enforcement
The War on Poverty
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Early in 1964 LBJ had declared a War on
Poverty
In Aug. 1964 Congress passed the
Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) which
provided $1 billion for youth programs,
antipoverty measures, small-business
loans, and job training
(EOA) created:
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Job Corps Youth Training Programs
VISTA –Volunteers in Service to America
Project Head Start – Ed. For underprivileged
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Community Action Programs (CAPS)
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kids
The Election of 1964
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LBJ (D) Vs Barry Goldwater (R)
Goldwater believed the federal
government had no business trying to
right the wrongs of poverty ,
discrimination, and economic opportunity
Goldwater wanted to make Social
Security voluntary, and sell the TVA
Goldwater mentioned he might use
nuclear weapons on Cuba and Vietnam
LBJ won in a landslide and the Democrats
increased their majority in Congress
LBJ- Daisy Girl Campaign
Commercial 1964
LBJ launches The Great Society
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LBJ wanted to end poverty and racial
injustice
The Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 provided $1 billion in aid to
help public and parochial schools
Medicare provided low-cost health
benefits to Americans 65 or older
Medicaid extended health insurance to
the poor or welfare recipients
Department of Housing and Urban
Development was established (HUD)
240,000 low rent public houses, and $
The Great Society II
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The Immigration Act of 1965 opened the
door for many non-European immigrants
to settle in the US by ending the quotas of
the 1920’s based on nationality
The Water Quality Act of 1965 required
states to clean up rivers, it resulted from
Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring about
pesticides, and spurred the environmental
movement
Congress established safety standards for
cars as a result of Ralph Nadar’s Unsafe
at Any Speed
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The Wholesome Meat Act of 1967
The Truth in Packaging Act of 1966
Other Great Society Programs
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The Higher Education Act of 1965 funded
scholarships and low-interest loans for
college students
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National Foundation for the Arts and the
Humanities Act of 1965 was created to
assistance to painters, musicians, actors,
and other artists
Corporation of Public Broadcasting 1967
The Voting Rights Act of 1965
The Highway Safety Act of 1966
The Air Quality Act of 1967
Impact of the Great Society
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Poverty fell from 21% in 1962 to 11% in
1973
Spending for the Great Society increased
the growing year to year budget deficit
Limited $ reached poor people due to
complex programs that were tough to
implement
Disillusioned inner city residents rioted in
protest
A Conservative backlash began to take
shape (Reagan Gov. of Ca 1966)
Vietnam War overshadowed it and took $