th
10
American History
Unit V- A Nation Facing Challenges
Chapter 17 – Section 2
Kennedy’s Thousand Days
Kennedy’s Thousand Days
The Main Idea
John F. Kennedy brought energy, initiative, and important
new ideas to the presidency.
Reading Focus
• What was Kennedy’s New Frontier?
• In what ways did the Warren Court change society in the early
1960s?
• What impact did Kennedy’s assassination have on the nation and
the world?
Kennedy Background
•
•
•
•
•
Born in Mass.- 1917
War hero WWII- Jackie
Debated Nixon in 1960 and won as
Democratic/ Roman Catholic candidate
Assassinated Nov. 21 1963 in Dallas by
Lee Harvey Oswald
Important more for what he could have
done that what he did
Lifestyles (01:54)
Forging the New Frontier (02:13)
Kennedy’s New Frontier

Americans were struck by the youth and
vitality of the Kennedy White House.

Kennedy’s public image was often different
than reality.


Kennedy’s narrow victory in 1960 left him
without the clear mandate he needed to
work well with Congress.
The New Frontier came to be symbolized by
the exploration of space.
Kennedy’s New Frontier
Image / Reality
• Images of
Kennedy showed
a young, vital
president / He
suffered from
Addison’s disease
and a bad back.
• Kennedy
encouraged the
press to
photograph and
write about his
children/
Jacqueline
Kennedy tried to
protect their
privacy.
Congress
Space Program
• Most in the early
1960s were not
reform minded,
which was
reflected in
Congress.
• Khrushchev
claimed the
Soviet lead in
space showed the
superiority of
communism.
• Kennedy’s narrow
victory left him
without a clear
mandate to rule.
Congress didn’t
approve many
New Frontier
proposals.
• In May 1961
Kennedy vowed
that the United
States would land
a man on the
moon.
• Sometimes
Kennedy was able
to bypass
Congress and
solve problems.
• The space race
became a part of
the Cold War—a
part that the
United States
would win.
Space Race Speech - Sept. 12th, 1962
at Rice University – 2:30
May 25, 1961- Speech to Joint
Session of Congress


“… I believe that this nation should
commit itself to achieving the goal,
before this decade is out, of landing
a man on the Moon and returning
him safely to the Earth.
No single space project...will be more
exciting, or more impressive to
mankind, or more important...and
none will be so difficult or expensive
to accomplish...".
Movie Clips: Humans in Space – 2:00
April 12, 1961 (03:01)
The Early Years of Manned Space Flight




Firsts- mostly Soviet
(Sputnik, Yuri Gagarin)
American- Explorer I,
MercuryShepard, Carpenter, Glenn,
Ed White.
Gemini- 14 days in a
Volkswagen
sized compartment
These flights had to practice
the different actions
necessary
for a lunar landing
Setbacks and Blowups


How could Ivan beat Johnny?
Project Vanguard
a)
b)
c)
Grapefruit sized IGY satellite
Sputnik quickened timetable
Ended with a “bang” and a blinking IGY
in the weeds
Mercury-Atlas 1 also blows up 58 seconds
into the flight
All well and good, but how do we
get there?



Direct Ascent- one craft, one landing
craft, bigger rocket
Earth Orbit Rendezvous- Many pieces
put together in Earth orbit
Lunar Orbit Rendezvous- All sent up
together and put together in lunar orbit
Movie Clips: Sputnik, Mercury,Gemini and Apollo- 3:05
Movie Clips: Gemini Program – 2:25
Apollo 1


Ed White, Gil
Grissom, and Roger
Chaffee killed in
flash fire training on
land for their
mission
Space Race delayed
for 20 months in
response
Products from Space

To the moon cost 25- 35 billion, was it worth it?
Scratch-resistant Lenses
Freeze-Dried Food
Athletic Shoes
CAT & MRI Technologies
Cordless Power Tools
Interest In Space
Suits for Race Car Drivers
Tang
Enriched baby food
Water purification
Pool purification
Ribbed swimsuits
Golf ball dynamics
Sports training
Athletic shoes
Dust buster
shock-absorbing helmets
home security systems
smoke detectors
flat panel televisions
high-density batteries
cool sportswear
hair styling appliances
fogless ski goggles
self-adjusting sunglasses
composite golf clubs
hang gliders
art preservation
quartz crystal timing equipment.
Solar energy and photovoltaic cells.
Fire resistant materials.
Computers and Semi-Conductors
Weather Forecasting Aids.
Virtual reality
Cool Suits
Programmable Pace Maker
Micro lasers
Magnetic Liquids
Emergency Rescue Cutters.
trash compactors
food packaging and freeze-dried
technology
Kennedy’s New Frontier




What was Kennedy’s New Frontier?
Recall – Why was Jaqueline Kennedy
so popular?
Analyze – Why did Kennedy’s domestic
plans lack congressional support?
Elaborate – Why do some people
believe that Kennedy used the media
more effectively than other presidents?
Kennedy’s New Frontier



Explain – How did President Kennedy deal
with steel companies who refused to roll back
steep price increases?
Summarize – How did the Space Race
become part of the Cold War?
Rate – Do you think President Kennedy’s
domestic goal was to make poor people
richer, rich people poorer, or make all
Americans richer?
The Supreme Court in the Early
1960s


During the Kennedy presidency, Supreme Court
decisions made major changes in American
society.
Under the leadership of Chief Justice Earl
Warren, Court rulings extended individual
rights and freedoms.

Voting-rights reform

The rights of the accused

Religious freedom
Chief Justice Earl Warren
Many historians regard Earl Warren as one of the most
important chief justices.
Warren did not have a positive record on civil rights when
President Eisenhower appointed him chief justice in 1953.
• Called for the internment of Japanese Americans during
World War II.
• Fought against an effort to make California’s state
Assembly more representative of the people.
However, as chief justice, Warren led the Court to one of the
most significant civil rights advances in U.S. history.
• Brown v. Board of Education banned racial segregation in
the nation’s schools.
Brown vs. the Board of Education (01:29)
The Warren Court

Voting-rights
Reform

Prior to legislation in the 1960s, states did not redraw
the boundaries of legislative districts to reflect
population changes.
Baker v. Carr (1962), Westberry v. Sanders (1964),
and Reynolds v. Sims (1964) changed this practice to
make each citizen’s vote more equal.
Rights
of the
Accused
Religious
Freedom

Mapp v. Ohio (1961), Gideon v. Wainwright (1963),
Escobedo v. Illinois (1964), and Miranda v. Arizona
(1966) extended the Bill of Rights to the actions of
state governments.

In Engel v. Vitale (1962) and other cases, the Warren
Court defined the religion guarantees of the First
Amendment.
Miranda vs. Arizona (01:30)
Individual Rights and Supreme Court Cases

Mapp v. Ohio – (1961)

Facts of the Case



Dolree Mapp was convicted of possessing obscene
materials after an admittedly illegal police search of her
home for a fugitive. She appealed her conviction on the
basis of freedom of expression.
Question- Were the confiscated materials
protected by the First Amendment?
Conclusion- Evidence obtained by searches and
seizures in violation of the Constitution is, by [the
Fourth Amendment], inadmissible in a state
court." (the exclusionary rule.)
Individual Rights and Supreme Court Cases
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Facts of the Case


Question:


Gideon was charged in a Florida state court with a felony for breaking
and entering. He lacked funds and was unable to hire a lawyer to
prepare his defense. When he requested the court to appoint an
attorney for him, the court refused, stating that it was only obligated to
appoint counsel to indigent defendants in capital cases. Gideon
defended himself in the trial; he was convicted by a jury and the court
sentenced him to five years in a state prison.
Did the state court's failure to appoint counsel for Gideon violate his
right to a fair trial and due process of law?
Conclusion:

In a unanimous opinion, the Court held that Gideon had a right to be
represented by a court-appointed attorney. In this case the Court
found that the Sixth Amendment's guarantee of counsel was a
fundamental right, essential to a fair trial, which should be made
applicable to the states through the Due Process Clause of the
Fourteenth Amendment. Justice Black called it an "obvious truth" that a
fair trial for a poor defendant could not be guaranteed without the
assistance of counsel. Those familiar with the American system of
justice, commented Black, recognized that "lawyers in criminal courts
are necessities, not luxuries."
Individual Rights and Supreme Court Cases

Escobedo v. Illinois (1964)

Facts of the Case


Question


Danny Escobedo was arrested and taken to a police
station for questioning. Over several hours, the police
refused his repeated requests to see his lawyer.
Escobedo's lawyer sought unsuccessfully to consult with
his client. Escobedo subsequently confessed to murder.
Was Escobedo denied the right to counsel as guaranteed
by the Sixth Amendment?
Conclusion

Yes. Justice Goldberg, in his majority opinion, spoke for
the first time of "an absolute right to remain silent."
Escobedo had not been adequately informed of his
consitutitonal right to remain silent rather than to be
forced to incriminate himself.
Individual Rights and Supreme Court Cases
Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

Facts of the Case


Question


In 1963, Ernesto Miranda (born in Mesa, Arizona in 1941, and living
in Phoenix, Arizona) was arrested for robbery, kidnapping and rape.
He was interrogated by police and confessed. At trial, prosecutors
offered only his confession as evidence. Miranda was convicted of
rape and kidnapping and sentenced to 20 to 30 years
imprisonment on each charge, the sentences to run concurrently.
Does the police practice of interrogating individuals without
notifying them of their right to counsel and their protection against
self-incrimination violate the Fifth Amendment?
Conclusion

The Court held that prosecutors could not use statements
stemming from custodial interrogation of defendants unless they
demonstrated the use of procedural safeguards "effective to secure
the privilege against self-incrimination." The Court specifically
outlined the necessary aspects of police warnings to suspects,
including warnings of the right to remain silent and the right to
have counsel present during interrogations.
The Warren Court




In what ways did the Warren Court change
society in the early 1960’s?
Recall – What was the outcome of Brown v.
Board of Education?
Recall – In Escobedo v. Illinois what legal
right was granted to the individual?
Elaborate – Why do you think that several
Supreme Court decisions focused on voter
rights?
The Warren Court


Recall – How did the Warren Court
define the religious guarantees of the
First Amendment?
Describe – Why was Gideon v.
Wainwright a landmark case?
Kennedy’s Assassination
On November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was
assassinated in Dallas, Texas.
Vice President Johnson was sworn in within hours.
Kennedy’s death shocked the nation and the world.
Within hours, police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald.
While being transferred to the county jail, Oswald was
shot to death by Jack Ruby.
November 22, 1963 (03:20)
Assassination of a President




Dallas, Texas - Nov. 22,
1963
 Dealey Plaza
 Lee Harvey Oswald
 Jack Ruby
Warren Commission
Conspiracy Theories
Appraisal of the Kennedy
years.
Zapruder Film
Mystery of JFK’s Assassination
The Warren Commission


The strange circumstances surrounding President
Kennedy’s death caused people to wonder whether
Oswald had acted alone in killing the president.
President Johnson appointed the Warren
Commission to investigate the assassination.

They determined that there was no conspiracy and that Oswald
and Ruby had each acted alone.

Additional government investigations and many private ones
have never found credible evidence of a conspiracy.
The Warren Commission
The Kennedy Legacy

Foreign
Relations



Domestic
Achievements

Some felt the drama of the Kennedy presidency was
more evident than its achievements.
However, in foreign affairs, relations with the Soviet
Union had improved.
The Peace Corp produced goodwill toward the United
States.
Kennedy did not have much success with domestic
issues.
He acknowledged that the nation’s social, economic,
and environmental problems would take many years to
solve.
The Kennedy Assassination




What impact did Kennedy’s assassination
have on the nation and the world?
Recall – Who shot President Kennedy?
Drawing Conclusion – Did the Warren
Commission resolve the questions
surrounding the Kennedy assassination?
Making Inferences – Why might some
people believe that Kennedy’s assassination
was the result of a conspiracy?