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The 1960s: JFK's Presidency, Foreign Policy, and the Rise of Counterculture

John F. Kennedy emerged as a youthful, groundbreaking president during the tumultuous 1960s, representing a blend of old ideals and new approaches. His "New Frontier" agenda aimed to combat poverty, strengthen civil rights, and support the space program but faced mixed results. His presidency was marked by pivotal events such as the Bay of Pigs, the Berlin Wall's construction, and the Cuban Missile Crisis. Following JFK's assassination in 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson promoted "The Great Society." The decade ended in a split Democratic Party, foreshadowing the political changes ahead.

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The 1960s: JFK's Presidency, Foreign Policy, and the Rise of Counterculture

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  1. The 1960s

  2. Election of 1960

  3. JFK • JFK was a new sort of president • Roman Catholic • Young – just 43 • Small children with a glamorous wife • In many ways embraced his public image

  4. “The New Frontier” • JFK saw that Americans still embraced some of the New Deal legacy but at the same time did not want hand-outs • “Ask not what...” • Strident anti-communist • Republican and Southern Democrat Congress

  5. A Mixed Record • Wanted and received a military increase (20%) • Created and sponsored the Peace Corps • Huge supporter of the Space Program. Wanted a man on the moon by 1970. • However • Fight poverty – fail • Federal sponsorship of education - fail • Health Care system for the elderly – fail • Civil Rights – semi fail

  6. Kennedy v. Russia • Kennedy met with similar difficulties in his dealings with Russia • His short presidency's foreign policy is highlighted with 3 events • Bay of Pigs, Berlin Wall, & the Cuban Missile Crisis

  7. The Bay of Pigs Invasion • Communist Fidel Castro in Cuba • Feared a Western Hemisphere alliance with the USSR • Kennedy approved a plan where the CIA trained 1,500 anti-Castro exiles • In April, 1961 the exiles invaded Cuba at the Bay of Pigs • Complete failure • Kennedy kept trying – Operation Mongoose

  8. The Berlin Wall • After Nixon's failed summit, JFK met with Khrushchev in 1961 • Became a bullying match. Mobilization • People were fleeing East Berlin • Berlin Wall constructed

  9. Cuban Missile Crisis • This is as close to nuclear war that the US has ever been • 1962 U-2 spy planes showed that the USSR was deploying nuclear missiles to house in Cuba • Feared that these missiles would be active in a few weeks • US Jupiter missiles in Turkey • Options? • Complete embargo of Cuba • Resolution & “Hotline”

  10. The Kennedy Assassination • Nov. 22, 1963 in Dallas • Shots from the Book Depository, killing JFK and injuring TX Gov. John Connally • A few hours later Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested • Oswald was then killed by Jack Ruby. Mob ties • Warren Commission

  11. Lyndon Johnson Takes Over • From Texas, public university • US Senator in a highly debated and contested election • Not flashy, but a very good politician • Was immediately up for presidential election and won the 1964 ballot in a landslide • Despite the large victory in the election a political change occurred in the Rep. Party. The white middle-class South was shifting to the Republican Party

  12. “The Great Society” • LBJ sponsored New Deal type programs under his label “The Great Society” • War on Poverty – Government programs such as Head Start, food stamps, and preschools • Medicare – Federal assistance to the elderly for emergency care and doctor fees • Medicaid – Medical coverage to welfare recipients • Immigration Act – removed immigration quotas

  13. Reaction to Vietnam & the 60s Counterculture • The more radical youth movements of the 60s came out of the failures in Civil Rights, Women's Movements, and the Vietnam War • Hippie Culture – long hair, jeans, sexual freedom (after the rise of contraception), anti-consumerism, exploratory music, & illegal drugs • Was it a revolution or just being young and free? A bit of both?

  14. The Election of 1968 • LBJ announces he will not seek a second term • Dems. split into 4 groups- Hubert Humphrey, Eugene McCarthy, Robert Kennedy, and George Wallace • Robert Kennedy might have won the nomination for the Dems but was assassinated in June, 1968 by Sirhan Sirhan • Nixon for the Republicans • Humphrey got the Dem nomination and Wallace went Independent

  15. Results of 1968 Election

  16. By the End of the Decade

  17. One Month Later

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