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The Kennedy Presidency. 1961-1963. The Election of 1960. Senator John F. Kennedy vs. VP Richard M. Nixon. Electoral Map 1960. Electoral Map 1964 for comparison. JFK and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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The Kennedy Presidency 1961-1963
The Election of 1960 Senator John F. Kennedy vs. VP Richard M. Nixon
JFK and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. • Dr. King was arrested in October of 1960 after sitting at an all-white lunch counter in Atlanta, his hometown. • The other demonstrators were released but Dr. King was sentenced to several months of hard labor. • Pres. Eisenhower refused to intervene and VP Richard Nixon took no position. • JFK saw an opportunity and called Mrs. King offering support. • Robert Kennedy asked a judge to release MLK on bail. He did. • This would help JFK win black votes in the South.
Camelot • The Kennedy years were coined “Camelot” due to his youth and the talented people he surrounded himself with. • This time reminded people of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table of legend. • The musical “Camelot” coincidentally opened in 1960 on Broadway.
Cuba and Fidel Castro • In 1959 Fidel Castro overthrew the elected government of Cuba after a Communist revolution. • Cuba had been independent since 1898 when the U.S. helped it achieve that during the Spanish-American War. • The U.S. had a strong influence in that country which is a big reason for the revolution. • Castro welcomed aid from the Soviet Union. • Just before Pres. Kennedy took office, Pres. Eisenhower broke off diplomatic relations with Cuba. • Castro promised to end poverty in Cuba.
Fidel Castro • Many believed by having Castro in power that he was one dictator replacing another. • Castro broke up privately-owned commercial properties into communes. Sugar companies appealed to the US for aid. • At this time the US placed an embargo on Cuba. • All people who had previously owned property in Cuba lost it with no remuneration. • Castro began almost immediately to repress any who opposed him. • About 10% of Cubans left for Miami.
March 1960: Pres. Eisenhower secretly gave the CIA permission to train Cuban exiles for an invasion of Cuba. He hoped it would trigger a mass uprising that would overthrow Castro. • JFK learned of this only 9 days into his presidency. • He approved the mission for April 17, 1961. • 1300-1600 exiles landed on the Bahia de Cochinos. • Failed miserably: air strike didn’t take out the Cuban air force. Advance group never made it to shore. Faced 25,000 Cuban troops backed by Soviet tanks. • JFK had to admit defeat and paid Cuba a “ransom” of $53 million in food and medical supplies. Bay of Pigs Invasion
Cuban Missile Crisis • Khrushchev promised to defend Cuba and started to send weapons including nuclear missiles to Cuba in 1962. • The US found out about this after flying over Cuban airspace and noticed that some of the missiles were ready to launch. This was Oct. 14. • On Oct. 22, JFK spoke to the nation and told of the presence of missiles in Cuba. He said they needed to be removed immediately and that any attack would cause an all-out attack on the Soviet Union. • For six days the world waited for one side to blink. • 100,000 US troops waited in Florida to invade Cuba. • More missiles had headed to Cuba from the Soviet Union. The US Navy stopped the ships and quarantined Cuba. • Sec. of State Dean Rusk said that we were “eyeball to eyeball and the other fellow just blinked.” • Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles and we secretly agreed to remove missiles from Turkey. • Afterward Castro closed Cuba’s doors to exiles.
Berlin Wall • Since the Berlin Airlift, over 3 million East Germans had fled to the west. 20% of the country. • This weakened the economy and the government had to do something to stop this. • Barbed wire and electric fences were not working. • Khrushchev had threatened to close off the access to West Berlin as Stalin had done. • August 13, 1961 the construction of the wall began. • Streets were now closed. Train tracks were blocked and the wall pretty much surrounded West Berlin. • The Berlin Wall remained until 1989.
Nukes and hotlines US and USSR agree to a Limited Test Ban Treaty and install a Hotline between Washington and the Kremlin in Moscow.
Exploring the New Frontier Alan Shepard became the first American man in space on May 5, 1961.
Exploring the New Frontier John Glenn, the first American man to orbit the earth. Feb. 20,1962. Circles the earth three times in four hours 55 minutes.
Kennedy proposals to Congress • Medicare—Health care for the aged. • Aid to urban areas—Rebuild city areas that had become rundown. • Education funding—Provide funds to a better education for American public school children. • Civil Rights—Protect minorities by law. Do away with segregation. • Increased spending (deficit spending)—JFK wanted to stimulate the economy while it was in a recession with 6% unemployment. • 20% increase in defense spending. • Minimum wage increase to $1.25/hour
The Peace Corps A program of volunteer assistance to the developing nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Usually volunteers help with irrigation projects, teach reading, writing or computer skills and survival skills. Usually recent college graduates.
Pres. Kennedy’s domestic agenda • Called for a “national assault on the causes of poverty.” • Ordered the Justice Department which was led by his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, to investigate racial injustices in the South. • Presented Congress with a sweeping Civil Rights Bill. • Proposed to cut taxes by $10 billion.
