Ch. 27-29: The 50s and 60sCh. 27-29: The 50s and 60s

Additional Notes

The Fair DealThe Fair Deal• Harry S Truman’s ambitious economic

program• An extension of the New Deal• Congress opposed some of the Fair Deal

and it never passed• Fair Deal was successful at increasing the

minimum wage, extending Social Security, and building low-income housing

White FlightWhite Flight• Millions of middle-class whites left cities

for the suburbs in the 1950s• Cities lost not only the people and

businesses but also the property and income taxes they had paid

• Thus, city governments could not afford to maintain or improve schools or other public institutions

• The urban poor suffered

Fidel CastroFidel Castro• Came to power in Cuba after leading a 3-

year guerrilla war to oust the unpopular and corrupt dictator Fulgencio Batista

• After taking power, Castro took over oil refineries and sugar plantations in Cuba owned by the U.S.

• Castro declared himself a Communist and U.S.-Cuba relations worsened

The Bay of PigsThe Bay of Pigs• The CIA planned, and JFK approved,

an invasion of Cuba by CIA trained Cuban exiles

• The plan was to overthrow Castro

• On April 17, 1961, the invasion began, with the exiles landing in southern Cuba at the Bay of Pigs

• Nothing went as planned and the invasion was a huge failure

• Kennedy took responsibility for the failure at the Bay of Pigs

• It was the worst embarrassment of his administration

• The invasion of his country resulted in Castro seeking further Soviet aid

The Cuban Missile CrisisThe Cuban Missile Crisis

• October 1962 – U-2 spy planes detect Soviet nuclear missiles that have been set up in Cuba

• Kennedy authorized a quarantine (naval blockade) of Cuba to keep any further missiles from being delivered

• The world was on the brink of a nuclear confrontation as Soviet ships headed toward the island

• At the last minute, Khrushchev ordered the ships to turn around

• Khrushchev offered to remove the missiles in return for a U.S. pledge not to invade Cuba

• The crisis severely damaged Khrushchev’s prestige in the Soviet Union and the world

New FrontierNew Frontier• President John F. Kennedy’s

legislative program, which included proposals to provide medical care for the elderly, to rebuild blighted urban areas, to aid education, to bolster the national defense, to increase international aid, and to expand the space program.

The Great SocietyThe Great Society• President Lyndon B. Johnson’s program

to reduce poverty and racial injustice and to promote a better quality of life in the United States

• Most lasting legislation of the Great Society was the establishment of Medicare (old-age medical insurance) and Medicaid (health insurance for welfare recipients)

• The Great Society greatly increased the size and scope of the federal government

• It also cost a lot of taxpayer money to pay for these entitlement programs

Reforms of the Warren CourtReforms of the Warren Court• Banned school prayer• Declared state-required loyalty oaths

unconstitutional• Expanded the meaning of free speech to

include symbolic speech• Declared some types of congressional

reapportionment illegal• Expanded the rights of the accused

(Miranda rights)

The NAACP Legal StrategyThe NAACP Legal Strategy

• The NAACP’s strategy to chip away at the segregationist tenets of Plessy v. Ferguson

• Many landmark court rulings attacked segregation, the most important being Brown v. Board of Education

De Facto/De Jure SegregationDe Facto/De Jure Segregation• De facto segregation – racial

separation established by practice and custom, not by law; prominent in northern cities and harder to combat than de jure segregation

• De jure segregation – racial separation established by law

Watts RiotsWatts Riots• Racial riots broke out in Los Angeles

after a confrontation between police and the mother of a young man being arrested for a DUI.

• The argument sparked 6 days of rioting in which 34 people were killed and over $30 million worth of damage was done.

• While the Watts riots of 1965 does go down in history as one of the worst race riots in United States history, it was only one of hundreds of riots and violent clashes that took place throughout the United States during the 1960s.

Malcolm XMalcolm X• While in prison, Malcolm Little

studied the teaching of Elijah Muhammad, leader of the Nation of Islam (Black Muslims).

• When released, he changed his name to Malcolm X and began preaching Islam, becoming one of Elijah Muhammad’s most famous disciples.

• Malcolm X was controversial because of his statements advocating fighting back against racism and oppression, with violence if necessary.

• He later broke with the Nation of Islam to form his own organization

• In 1965, Malcolm X was gunned down while giving a speech in Harlem

Black PanthersBlack Panthers• Founded by Bobby Seale and

Huey Newton in Oakland, CA in 1966, the Black Panthers was a radical political party that advocated armed revolt to win equality for blacks.

MLK AssassinationMLK Assassination• One day after seeming to prophesize

his own death, MLK, Jr. was shot through the neck while standing on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee.

• The bullet, fired by James Earl Ray, took the life of Dr. King on April 4th, 1968. Many mourned. Some rejoiced.

Civil Rights Act of 1968Civil Rights Act of 1968• Just one of the many pieces of

legislation that came into being as a result of the Civil Rights movement.

• The Civil Rights Act of 1968 banned discrimination in housing.