chapter 20 section 2 the new frontier. the camelot years kennedy inauguration –set tone for new...
TRANSCRIPT
Chapter 20 Section 2The New Frontier
The Camelot Years
• Kennedy inauguration– Set tone for new era in
White House• Grace• Elegance • Wit
The Camelot Years
• Gave an inspiring speech- “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”
• During his term recognized art and culture and appeared frequently on TV
Kennedy Mystique
• Critics said he was all style with no substance
• But 1st family fascinated the public
• After learning JFK could read 1,600 wpm– Thousands enrolled in
speed reading courses
Kennedy Mystique
• 1st lady had influence on fashion and culture
• Media fascinated with Kennedy children
• 1st family’s glamour seemed like a fairy tale
• JFK & his advisors reminded many of a modern day Camelot
The Best and the Brightest
• JFK surrounded himself with young intellectuals and business people
• Media called them the “Best and the Brightest”
The Best and the Brightest
• McGeorge Bundy– National Security
Advisor
The Best and the Brightest
• Robert McNamara– Secretary of Defense
The Best and the Brightest
• Dean Rusk– Secretary of State
The Best and the Brightest
• Robert Kennedy– Brother– 35 years old– Attorney General
The Promise of Progress
• New Frontier-JFK’s legislative agenda
• Called on Americans to be “new pioneers” and explore “uncharted areas of science and space…unconquered pockets of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and surplus.”
The Promise of Progress
• JFK had a hard time turning his New Frontier into reality
• Showed little skill in pushing his domestic reforms through Congress
• Lacked a mandate- a clear indication that voters approved of his plans
The Promise of Progress
• As a result of not having a mandate, JFK played it safe
• Was able to persuade Congress to enact measures to– Boost economy– Build national
defense– Provide international
aid– Fund a massive
space program
Stimulating the Economy
• US stuck in a recession by 1960
• Unemployment at 6%• JFK criticized
Eisenhower for not doing more to stimulate the economy
Stimulating the Economy
• Advocated deficit spending
• Felt economy would grow with a mixture of government spending and lower taxes
Stimulating the Economy
• Dept. of Defense budget increased by 20%– New nuclear missiles– Nuclear submarines– Expansion of armed
services
Stimulating the Economy
• Congress increased minimum wage to $1.25/ hour
• Extended unemployment insurance
• Provide assistance to cities with high unemployment
Addressing Poverty Abroad
• Created Peace Corps- volunteer assistance to developing nations of Latin America, Asia, and Africa
Addressing Poverty Abroad
• Critics referred to the fact that the volunteers were so young
• Many foreigners questioned whether Americans understood other cultures
Addressing Poverty Abroad
• Peace Corps became a huge success
• People of all ages and backgrounds signed up to work as– Agricultural advisors– Teachers– Health aides
Addressing Poverty Abroad
• By 1968 – more than 35,000 volunteers served in more than 60 nations
Addressing Poverty Abroad
• Alliance for Progress- offered economic and technical assistance to help Latin American nations
• Meant to spread of communism
Addressing Poverty Abroad
• Alliance for Progress– Built schools– Houses– Sanitation facilities– Encouraged economic
reforms
Between 1961 and 1969 the US invested almost $12 billion in Latin America
Race to the Moon
• April 12, 1961- Soviets launched 1st man into space
• Yuri Gagarin• Americans stunned• JFK saw this as a
challenge that had to be met
Race to the Moon
• JFK set goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth
• To be achieved by the end of the decade (1960s)
• Within weeks NASA began building new launch facilities
Race to the Moon
• February 20, 1962- Colonel John Glenn orbited earth 3 times
• Later that year- satellite Telstar relayed live TV pictures across the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Europe
Race to the Moon
• July 20, 1969- U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the 1st man to walk on the moon
Race to the Moon
• Space race impacted many parts of society– Education– Science and
technology– Computers– Miniaturized
electronics
New Domestic Agenda
• 1962- problem of poverty came to national attention
• The Other America by Michael Harrington used govmt stats to profile 42 million Americans that made less than $1000/year
New Domestic Agenda
• Mass movement against segregation also emerged
• JFK pushed for legislation dealing with poverty and civil rights
Tragedy in Dallas
• Fall 1963• JFK had popular
support• 60% of the public
approved of him
Four Days in November
• November 22, 1963• In Dallas to repair
relationship with Texas Democratic party
Four Days in November
• Sat next to his wife in an open air limousine
• Texas Governor John Connally sat in front of him
• Car approached Texas School Book Depository
Four Days in November
• Kennedy shot in the head
• Rushed to hospital• JFK died less than an
hour after he had been shot
Four Days in November
• Lyndon Baines Johnson becomes new President
Four Days in November
• Dallas police charge Lee Harvey Oswald with the murder of JFK– Oswald’s palm print on the
rifle used to kill the President
– Former Marine sniper– Dishonorably discharged– Lived briefly in the Soviet
Union– Active supporter of Fidel
Castro
Four Days in November
• November 24, 1963• Oswald being
transferred from one prison to another – on live TV
• Shot by Dallas night club owner Jack Ruby
• Oswald died less than an hour later
Four Days in November
• November 25, 1963• JFK buried at
Arlington National Cemetary
Unanswered Questions
• Many wondered if Oswald acted as part of a conspiracy
• Commission presided by Chief Justice Earl Warren conducted an extensive 10 month investigation
Unanswered Questions
• Warren Commission- concluded that Oswald did shoot JFK and acted on his own
• However, in a 1979 congressional committee- they concluded that…
Unanswered Questions
• Oswald probably shot Kennedy
• But in conspiracy with unknown people
• Possible that 2 people fired at the President