The 1960s  Kennedy’s America

1. Nixon JFK The 1960s Kennedy’s America

2. 1960 Presidential Election • Eisenhower was ‘termed out’ • Nixon (Rep.  Ike’s VP) v JFK (Dem.) • JFK Won. A number of factors helped him. • Recession blamed on Republican • Civil Rights • Helped MLK get out of jail (he’d been held on phony charges) • Won JFK a large percentage of black votes • Big deal in a close election; JFK won by only 100,000 votes • Dawning of television era • JFK was ‘telegenic’ • What impact on voters of a transition from connecting with a candidate through the printed word to connecting with a candidate through TV?

3. Presidents Then

4. Presidents Now

5. ‘Camelot’ • JFK and his wife Jacqueline (or Jackie-O) were young and attractive • They were known for being young, witty, and classy • Jackie-O set fashion trends • Term Camelot compared JFK’s white house to King Arthur’s court, full of dashing and brave knights

8. (Marilyn Monroe clip http://www.funstrangeamazing.com/?p=1154)

9. Domestic Politics: The New Frontier • Old Frontier ?  The Wild West  explore new areas and broaden American horizons physically • New Frontier ?  Social Problems  explore overlooked societal problems  broaden America’s horizons metaphorically • Poverty • estimated that 60 million Americans were in poverty • responded by lowering taxes & increasing government spending (aka deficit spending) • also increased minimum wage to $1.25 • Peace Corps • created a volunteer program for Americans to help poverty stricken nations throughout the world • Also spread a positive American image

11. Technology • to compete with Soviet space superiority Kennedy increased government spending & promised America a man on the moon within 10 years (successful! happened in 1969) • led to new technologies for science & industry which helped economy • Civil Rights • supported Civil Rights Activists by providing troops to protect their efforts in the South • created a Civil Rights bill that guaranteed equal access to all public accommodations and gave the U.S. Attorney General (his brother) the power to file school desegregation suits • Kennedy died before approved, but later became the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (one of the most important pieces of Civil Rights Legislation in American history)

13. Sputnik(1957) First man-made satellite Soviets are ahead They can launch bombs farther than us! Cuba not ‘Contained’ (1959) Cuban revolution under Fidel Castro Cuba is now communist First Western Hemisphere Communist nation  enemy in our own backyard U2 Incident (1960) An American spy plane was shot down while flying over the Soviet Union Americans denied it was a spy plane American (Francis Gary Powers) was supposed to commit suicide with poison if caught, but he did not Soviets produced the American pilot who admitted he was on a spying mission Increased suspicions Foreign Policies: Cold War Tension

14. Further Problems During JFK’s Presidency Berlin and CMC • Berlin Crisis (1961) • Germans living in East Berlin were moving to West Berlin • Why?  Western economy was more successful! • angered Soviets because it made communism look bad • Soviets built the Berlin Wall –ended crisis but escalated Cold War tensions • STOP HERE FOR DAY #1 • Cuban Missile Crisis (1962) • USSR placed nuclear missiles on island of Cuba • nearly led to nuclear war between U.S. & U.S.S.R – Kennedy able to successfully convince Soviets to remove missiles • Hot Line (1963) • Kennedy & Khrushchev (Soviet leader) decide to establish a direct phone line between the leaders to prevent future crises