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Kennedy’s New Frontier. United States History Chapter 15, Section 2 Mrs. Huston. Kennedy Style Expensive, tailored clothes Quick, winning smile Sense of humor Movie star good looks. Surround himself with the “best and the brightest” as advisors
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Kennedy’s New Frontier United States History Chapter 15, Section 2 Mrs. Huston
Kennedy Style • Expensive, tailored clothes • Quick, winning smile • Sense of humor • Movie star good looks
Surround himself with the “best and the brightest” as advisors • Robert McNamara, President of Ford Motor Co., served as Secretary of Defense • Dean Rusk, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, was Secretary of State • Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., a Pulitzer Prize winning historian, was a White House spokesperson
Domestic Issues • Poverty • Increase in minimum wage • Extended Social Security benefits • Improvements in welfare
Economic Proposals • Tax credits to stimulate business investment • Increased military spending to create new jobs • Deficit Spending • Government borrows money • Tax cuts for average Americans
Timid on Civil Rights • Little power with Congress • Didn’t want to alienate Southern Democrats • Introduced Civil Rights Bill in 1963 to prosecute voting rights violations and provide money for desegregation
Space Exploration • Response to Soviet Sputnik launch in 1957 • NASA created • 1961 1st Soviet cosmonaut (and human) to orbit the earth • The competition was called a “Space Race”
Space Exploration • May, 1961 the US sent Alan Shepard into space, but he did not orbit • Kennedy committed the US to a goal of landing a man on the moon by 1970 • John Glenn was the 1st American to orbit the earth in February, 1962
Space Exploration • Tragedy—three astronauts burned to death, trapped in their capsule in a test that exploded • July, 1969—Neil Armstrong was the 1st man to step on the moon
Accomplishments • Became a national leader • Made hard decisions with Soviets • Took responsibility for those decisions • Finally began to support Civil Rights • Inspired Americans with noble goals
Trip to Dallas for re-election • Assassinated November 22, 1963 in motorcade • Killed by Lee Harvey Oswald
Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn in aboard “Air Force One” • Warren Commission • investigated • said Oswald acted alone • Conspiracy theories still exist • Greatly affected the nation • Many hopes shattered