The Kennedy Years

The Kennedy Years

Election of 1960 • R- nominated Eisenhower’s Vice-President, Richard Nixon • D- nominated Massachusetts Senator John F. Kennedy • JFK brother increased support for JFK by helping get MLK out of jail. • Main Issue: Cold War Defense • Role of the TV: Election featured the first televised presidential debates and it was the first time television was used as a serious campaign tool • Kennedy won in a tight election, in some ways due to his better manipulation of television

John F. Kennedy • 1917 – 1963 • 35th President (1961 – 63) • WWII veteran who had held his own command in the US Navy • First Catholic president • In his inaugural address, he famously stated “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”

The New Frontier • JFK proposed ambitious policies intended to boost education, health insurance for the elderly, create a Dept. of Urban Affairs, & help migrants • Congress decided that Kennedy’s programs were too expensive and voted against them

Kennedy Targets the Moon Space Race- In 1961, JFK promised a man on the moon in less than a decade Neil Armstrong: July 20, 1969 – 1st human to walk on the moon • “[We] commit … before this decade is out, to landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth … But why, some say, the moon? Why choose this as our goal? And they may well ask why climb the highest mountain? …We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win” "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind."

Affirmative Action • Minorities given preferential treatment by employers, schools etc.

Cuba • Leader: Fidel Castro • Gov’t: Communist

The Bay of Pigs Invasion • Under the approval of then-President Eisenhower, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) began training Cuban exiles for an invasion of Cuba with the purpose of overthrowing Castro’s communist gov’t. • In April 1961, the exiles landed at The Bay of Pigs in Cuba, but were quickly defeated by Cuban military forces when the US failed to provide any further invention on their behalf • Major international embarrassment for the US

The Cuban Missile Crisis • Soviets placed nuclear missiles in Cuba in Fall 1962 • US demanded their removal and enacted a naval blockade of Cuba to stop Soviet ships from bringing more missiles • Many thought that WWIII would result as the US and USSR faced off over a tense 13-day period, each threatening the other with nuclear force • Soviets eventually backed down and removed the missiles, thanks to the US publicly promising not to invade Cuba and secretly agreeing to remove American missiles from Turkey

Germany • Berlin Wall was built

The Peace Corps • Created in 1961 • Purpose is “To promote world peace and friendship … which shall make available to interested countries … men and women of the United States qualified for service abroad and willing to serve, under conditions of hardship if necessary, to help the peoples of such countries and areas in meeting their needs for trained manpower.” • Since 1961, over 200,000 college-educated American volunteers have served 2-year commitments in foreign nations

Alliance for Progress • Economic aid to Latin America – like the Marshall Plan

JFK Assassination • Nov. 22, 1963 • While riding in a motorcade in Dallas, TX, Kennedy was shot and killed • Lee Harvey Oswald was charged with the killing, but was himself shot and killed 2 days later by Jack Ruby while being transported from jail to appear in court

Warren Commission • Established to investigate JFK’s assassination – concluded Oswald was the only shooter

The Kennedy Years