+ the 1960’s. + the election of 1960 senator john kennedy v. vp richard nixon (one of the closest...

+

The 1960’s

+The Election of 1960

Senator John Kennedy v. VP Richard Nixon (one of the closest elections)

2 factors gave JFK the advantage Television Civil Rights

+The Election of 1960

1st televised debates Nixon looked old, sick, and nervous, while Kennedy looked young, energetic,

and cool

Radio voters said Nixon won; TV voters said JFK won (shows influence of TV)

+The Election of 1960•Kennedy was a strong supporter of Civil Rights

•During the campaign, Martin Luther King, Jr. was arrested in Atlanta

•Kennedy called King’s wife to express his sympathy, while his brother Robert persuaded the judge to release King on bail

•The African American vote helped him win

+The Cuban Revolution•January 1959—communist guerillas led by Fidel Castro took over Cuba

•Took control of US oil refineries and broke up US owned sugar plantations to give to Cuban peasants

•Castro began taking aid from the USSR•US cut off trade with Cuba (just before JFK’s inauguration)

+The Bay of Pigs Invasion

•Castro’s oppressive policies called many to be sent into exile (many escaped to the US)

•Summer 1960—Eisenhower approved secret training of Cuban exiles for an invasion of Cuba•Concerned that a communist country was 90 miles from our border

•JFK learned of the plan just a few days after being elected


•April 17, 1961—nearly 1400 exiles were met by 20,000 Cuban soldiers at the Bay of Pigs•CIA mistakenly reported that Castro’s air force had been taken out (in an air strike 2 days before)

•Many exiles were killed, others taken prisoner


•JFK accepted blame for the fiasco (he refused to send in air support when he learned the invasion was near failure)

•The failed invasion was an embarrassment to both him AND the nation

•Negotiated the release of the remaining commandos by agreeing to pay $53 million in food and medical supplies to Cuba

+The Cuban Missile Crisis

•Summer 1962—USSR leader Nikita Khrushchev promised to defend Cuba•Increased the flow of Soviet weapons into Cuba•Soviets believed JFK would not interfere because of his response to the Bay of Pigs


•JFK warned that the US would not tolerate nuclear weapons in Cuba (90 miles from coast of Florida)

•On October 14, 1962—US learned that Soviet missiles in Cuba were ready to launch (obtained from U-2 spy plane cameras)


•October 22, 1962—JFK announced to the US public that there were nuclear weapons in Cuba (and that we planned to have them removed)

•Promised that an attack from Cuba would result in an attack on the USSR


•US plans to stop Soviet ships loaded with weapons for Cuba•Soviet ships unexpectedly stop advancing

•Khrushchev promised to remove the Cuban missiles if the US removed our missiles from Turkey and promised not to invade Cuba•Kennedy agreed and the crisis ended•Closest the US ever came to nuclear war

+The Berlin Crisis•June 1961—USSR threatened to close all roads to West Berlin

•West Berlin had become the “showplace of Democracy” in Europe

•West Germany was prosperous, while East Germany’s economy continued to fall

•JFK pledged that the US “cannot and will not permit the Communists to drive us out of Berlin”

+The Berlin Crisis

•August 13, 1961—Soviets began building the “Berlin Wall” (along the border of East and West Berlin)

•Completed the wall within a few days

•Stopped the flow of refugees into West Berlin (armed guards ensured no one would successfully cross the wall)

•Remained closed until 1989 (when Soviet Union fell)

+The Camelot Years•Kennedy’s presidency became known as “Camelot”

•After the Broadway musical about King Arthur’s court (JFK’s favorite soundtrack)

•The Kennedy’s brought youth, grace, elegance, and wit to the White House

•The nation was fascinated by the young Kennedy family

•JFK was the youngest elected president (and the only Catholic)

+The Camelot Years

•Women tried to copy Jackie Kennedy’s fashion styles and magazines were filled with pictures of the couple and their 2 children: Caroline and John Jr.

+The Camelot Years

+The Camelot Years

•Kennedy’s cabinet was called the “Best and Brightest” (Included McGeorge Bundy, Dean Rusk, Robert McNamara)

•JFK’s most trusted advisor was his brother and attorney general, Robert Kennedy

+The Camelot Years•Kennedy’s agenda for progress was called “The New Frontier”

•Called on Americans (especially youth) to be pioneers in:•Math•Science•Technology (especially space exploration)•Social Issues

+The Camelot Years•Laws were passed to improve:•The economy•National Defense•International Aid (Peace Corps)

•Funding for the Space Program

•Civil Rights Bill—proposed to end racial discrimination, poverty, and lower taxes

+Kennedy’s Assassination

•November 22, 1963—JFK arrived in Dallas, Texas•Hoped to gain Texas Democrats’ votes in the 1964 Election


•John and Jackie Kennedy were sitting in the back of an open-air limousine •Texas governor John Connally and his wife Nellie sat in the front


•Kennedy was shot as his car passed the Texas School Book Depository


•He was fatally shot in the back, throat, and head (Governor Connally suffered wounds in the back, chest, wrist, and thigh)


•Kennedy was rushed to nearby Park Lane Hospital and declared dead less than an hour later


•Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as President onboard Air Force One (on the way back to Washington, DC)


•Lee Harvey Oswald was charged with the assassination (less than an hour after the shooting)

•Investigators determined that 24-year old Oswald’s prints matched those found on a rifle discovered at the book depository•Investigators also learned that Oswald had been dishonorably discharged from the US military and relocated to the USSR where he became an active supporter of communism and Castro


•November 24—Oswald was killed by Jack Ruby (a

Dallas nightclub owner) before he could be brought to trial


•The next day, JFK’s funeral was broadcast on live TV

•Businesses closed to watch the funeral


•They determined that Oswald acted alone (based on the “Magic Bullet” Theory)

•People immediately began questioning the government’s official version of the assassination

•The Warren Commission was led by Chief Justice Earl Warren

•The Warren Commission was established to investigate the assassination

+Kennedy’s Assassination•1979—a Congressional committee determined that Oswald probably shot the president but had people backing him and that it was possible that 2 people had fired at the president

•Then in 1992, official documents were released to the public that gave weight to the theory that the president was shot from the front and that Oswald could not have acted alone

+Kennedy’s Assassination•Effects of the Assassination:•Proved our government was strong enough to stand despite the assassination of the president•Passage of 25th amendment (Presidential Succession)•LBJ was able to push through his domestic agenda (Great Society, Civil Rights Act of 1964)

+Lyndon Johnson•“LBJ”

•Served in the House of Representatives and Senate, eventually becoming the Senate Majority Leader

•He helped pass through the Civil Rights Act of 1957 (1st civil rights legislation since Reconstruction)

•Chosen as JFK’s VP because:•1-his connections in Congress•2-his support of Civil Rights•3-he was a Southern Protestant

+Lyndon Johnson•After Kennedy’s death, Johnson urged Congress to move ahead with the proposed civil rights and tax cut bills as a tribute to JFK

•July 1964—LBJ signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 •Prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, nationality, and gender (gave the federal government adequate power to enforce it)

+Lyndon Johnson•Johnson defeated Barry Goldwater in the 1964 election

•Goldwater was against federal intervention in social and economic problems and believed the US should use nuclear weapons against Cuba and North Vietnam

•Democrats also won landslides in Congress•Assured passage of many of their agendas (mandate)

+Lyndon Johnson

•The Great Society•Johnson’s programs to fight poverty and racial injustice

+Lyndon Johnson

•Included federal funding for:•Medicare and Medicaid•Project Head Start•Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)•Civil Rights Programs

+The Warren Court

•Expanded civil liberties and judicial/federal power•Limited censorship of books and films•Symbolic speech became protected under the 1st amendment (students allowed to wear armbands to protest the Vietnam War)

•Ended segregation and school prayer•Established Miranda rights and rights to privacy•All states must obey all Supreme Court decisions

+The Rise of Conservatism

•2 major issues led to Johnson’s unpopularity:•The deficit created by the Great Society•The war in Vietnam


•These issues caused many to question the liberal policies of the Democratic party•Conservatives demanded military strength and less government control and spending

•Began supporting candidates like Barry Goldwater (led to

rise of Ronald Reagan) and Richard Nixon

+The Rise of Conservatism•Goldwater said it was not the government’s role to fix social and economic problems such as poverty, discrimination, etc.•Wanted to sell the TVA to raise revenues and make social security voluntary•Also encouraged more involvement in Vietnam (which LBJ argued would not solve the problem)


•LBJ’s unpopularity convinced him not to run in 1968 and conservative Richard Nixon was elected•Sought to replace the Great Society with “New Federalism•Would return power to the states and cut spending for entitlement and welfare programs

+

The End

Property of Janet E. Brooks

+ the 1960’s. + the election of 1960 senator john kennedy v. vp richard nixon (one of the closest...

Documents