Transcript Slide 1

JFK and LBJ
America in the 1960s
1960 Presidential Election
• John F. Kennedy (D) went
up against vice president
Richard Nixon (R).
• The election was
extremely close. JFK won
with 49.9% of the popular
vote to Nixon’s 49.7%, a
total of about 100,000
votes.
• JFK was the first and only
President (so far) that was
a Roman Catholic.
Many historians believe JFK won the election thanks to
the first ever televised presidential debates. JFK looked
better on TV— he appeared to be more relaxed,
handsome, and charismatic. Nixon always had sweat on
his upper lip, a 5 o’clock shadow, and was sick during
the first debate, making him appear weak and frail.
Kennedy’s Inauguration
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country
can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country.”
Many Americans were
charmed by the Kennedy
couple.
Many thought JFK’s wife,
Jackie, was the most
beautiful first lady we had
ever had.
The White House during
the Kennedy
administration was known
as “Camelot,” and they
reigned in splendor like
royalty.
Do you remember anything about
Kennedy’s Foreign Policy?
What is a Third World country?
What was the Bay of Pigs invasion?
What was the Cuban Missile Crisis?
What is Flexible Response?
The New Frontier
• Kennedy’s domestic policy was known as
the New Frontier.
• This included things such as
improvements to education, additions to
welfare, and Civil Rights legislation.
Timeline of the Kennedy Years
1961
1962
1963
The Berlin
Wall is built
Bay of Pigs
invasion
Cuban Missile
Crisis
JFK
Assassination
March on
Washington
JFK Fights the Cold War
(Communism in the early 1960s)
Special Forces
• The Green Berets were
highly trained soldiers
that specialize in
counterinsurgency.
• People, like communists,
who try to overthrow the
government of a country
friendly to the US are
called insurgents.
• Green Berets are sent in
to counter the threat.
Peace Corps
• American volunteers are
sent overseas to developing
countries to help with
agriculture, education,
construction, etc.
• It shows the world that we
are “nice guys.” It also
allows us to help these
developing countries
improve living conditions
and stop the spread of
communism.
We will bury you!
Khrushchev was the leader of the Soviet Union when Kennedy
became president. Khrushchev thought because of Kennedy’s
youth and inexperience he could bully him. He tested JFK in
Cuba and Berlin. Kennedy however, did not back down.
The Berlin Wall
• August 1961
• Khrushchev allowed the East German
government, along with Soviet help, to
build a wall around the city of West Berlin.
• The purpose was to stop the flood of
educated and skilled East Germans from
fleeing to West Berlin.
Bay of Pigs- 1961
• Plan to overthrow Fidel Castro in Cuba
• Ideas developed during Eisenhower
Administration
• CIA trained 1,500 Cubans in Guatemala
• JFK decided to go ahead with invasion plan
• complete failure= 1,100 invaders captured & 400
killed
• JFK took blame for failure= huge increase in
popularity
• US paid $53 million to release the 1,100
captured
Cuban Missile Crisis- 1962
• Summer 1962- Khrushchev began to move
missiles into Cuba
• October photos confirmed nuclear missiles
capable of hitting most US cities
• US blockades (quarantines) Cuba & any missile
launched on the US will lead to nuclear war
• Oct. 26- Khrushchev backs down & offers deal=
USSR will remove missiles if US promises never
to invade Cuba & US removes nuclear missiles
from Turkey
How would you describe Kennedy
and Khrushchev’s relationship?
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
of 1963
• The USSR and USA agreed to ban the testing
of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere, due to
radioactive contamination.
JFK Assassination
• November 22,
1963
• John and Jackie
Kennedy had
come to Dallas to
talk with certain
Texas Democrats.
JFK Assassination
• As they drove
through the
crowd at
Dealey Plaza,
he was shot in
the head.
• Doctors were
unable to
revive him.
Dealey Plaza in Dallas
JFK Assassination:
Clip from Zapruder film
Lee Harvey Oswald was charged
with the murder, but was himself
murdered before he could be tried.
Oswald was shot by nightclub owner Jack Ruby on national television.
Oswald’s Bad Day
Vice President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as president on Air Force One.
Lady
Bird
LBJ
Jackie
Judge
Sarah T.
Hughes
Lyndon B. Johnson
• Whereas JFK was rich,
handsome, and charismatic,
LBJ was born poor, not very
appealing to look at, and not
a great communicator.
• LBJ, however, was the more
successful politician. He was
good at building coalitions.
Election of 1964
• LBJ finished out Kennedy’s term, then ran
for a term of his own in 1964.
• Johnson (D) ran against Barry Goldwater
(R), and LBJ won.
• LBJ passed more
legislation through
Congress than any
other president except
FDR.
• He passed the “Great
Society” legislation.
LBJ’s Great Society
included over 200 bills
passed through
Congress and it is
often compared to the
New Deal.
The Great Society
• The Great Society was President Johnson’s
domestic agenda.
• This legislative program tried to end poverty
and racial injustice, safeguard health care
for the poor and aged, and help kids afford
school.
• The Great Society programs that were
specifically targeted at fighting poverty were
called the “War on Poverty.”
• Great Society = Bigger Government
LBJ’s Great Society
• Targeted:
1. Civil Rights
2. War on Poverty (including
Health and Welfare)
3. Consumer Affairs
1. Civil Rights
A. Civil Rights Act of 1964- equal access to
public accommodations and government
facilities, including school integration.
B. Voting Rights Act of 1968- outlawed
discrimination in housing.
LBJ signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964
2. War on Poverty
A. Economic Opportunity Act of 1964- provided legal
counseling and established:
a) VISTA
b) Head Start - nursery/kindergarten
programs for underprivileged children
c) Upward Bound – college scholarships for
underprivileged students
d) Neighborhood Health Centers
e) Job Corps
f) Medicare
g) Medicaid
Medicare- provided health insurance to older
Americans (amendment to Social
Security Act).
Medicaid- provided federally subsidized
medical assistance for indigent, aged,
blind, and children of dependent families.
B. Elementary & Secondary School Actover $1billion to improve schools &
student performance in low-income
districts.
C. Higher Education Act of 1965- provided
money for community service programs
and improved educational opportunities
for students from low-income families.
D. Model Cities Act of 1966- improve the
quality of urban life by developing projects
related to jobs, education, health care,
crime prevention, and recreation.
E. Housing Act of 1968- federally subsidized
the building of new homes for low income
Americans.
3. Consumer Affairs
A. Environment- legislation to protect air and
water quality.
B. Consumer Protection- legislation for food and
automobile safety.
C. Fine Arts- federal funding for the arts and
humanities.
D. Corporation for Public Broadcasting- creates
PBS.
The Moon Landing
• JFK
promised
that we
would land
on the moon
by the end of
the decade.
• In July 1969,
Neil
Armstrong
became the
first man on
the moon.
Amendment 23
• Allows people who live in
Washington DC to vote
for president.
Amendment 25
• Presidential Succession
and Disability (what
happens if a president
goes into a coma,
resigns, etc.)
Amendment 24
• Abolished poll taxes
Amendment 26
• 18-year-olds can vote
(more on this later)
Summary
• Three facts about JFK’s presidency included
________, _________, and _______.
(Think of something besides the fact that he was shot!)
• The Great Society was created by __________.
It included ________________.
Enduring Understandings
• To what extent did the principles of democracy
expand or contract during the Great Society?
• Analyze the various ways the federal
government fought Communism, both
domestically and internationally.
• Compare the Great Society to the New Deal.
• To what extent has the space program impacted
the daily life of citizens and the image of the U.S.
around the world?