Pump-Up

• Recall how Truman and Eisenhower confronted the challenges of the Cold War.

• Predict whether subsequent Presidents will follow earlier policies or work out new approaches to the conflict.

Kennedy and Johnson

Today’s Vocabulary • Warren Court– When the Supreme Court expanded civil liberties for

American citizens.

• Berlin Wall– A literal “iron curtain” that separated east and west Berlin.

• Cuban Missile Crisis– Closest the world has ever come to a nuclear war.

• Great Society– President Johnson’s plan to improve the life for

impoverished Americans.

Election of 1960• 1st televised presidential debate.– Kennedy (Democrat)

• Young and good looking.• Catholic • Wins debate over the TV.

– Nixon (Republican)• Tired and pale looking.• Wins debate over the radio.

• Election results- Kennedy wins!– Youngest president ever elected, 43.– “Ask not what your country can do for

you, but instead, ask what you can do for your country.”

Kennedy’s New Frontier• Congress did not pass all of

Kenney’s programs b/c they felt it was too expensive.– Did not cut taxes, give federal aid

to education or create health care plan for older Americans.

• Accomplishments:– Raised the minimum wage to

$1.25 per hour.– Equal Pay Act for women.– Built mental health centers.– Built low-income housing.

The Warren Court• Chief Justice Earl Warren

• Brown v. Board of Education- desegregated public schools.

• Mapp v. Ohio- Must have a search warrant.

• Gideon v. Wainwright- State must provide a lawyer if needed.

• Miranda v. Arizona- Must be read your rights.

• Engel v. Vitale- Banned prayer in public schools.

Kennedy’s Foreign Policy• Flexible Response– Build up of troops and conventional

weapons for the use of multiple options during war.

• Peace Corps– Sent Americans to provide

humanitarian services in less-developed nations.

• Alliance for Progress– Gave money to Latin American

countries to build infrastructure.

The Space Race

• Soviets launched the 1st human into space.

• John Glenn is 1st American to orbit the Earth.

• Neal Armstrong was the 1st man to walk on the moon.

Bay of Pigs Invasion• Communist Fidel Castro took power in

Cuba.– U.S. began training Cuban exiles to overthrow

Castro.

• Disaster– The New York Times reported the plan a week

before it began.– Kennedy canceled the air strike to keep U.S.

involvement a secret. – Castro killed or captured invading forces within

two days. – Anti-Castro uprising never took place.

• Instead of eliminating threat of Communism, it actually brought the threat it closer.

The Berlin Wall• Seeing Kennedy’s weakness,

Khrushchev demanded that the U.S. withdraw from West Berlin.

• When the U.S. refused, Khrushchev built the Berlin Wall.– Separated families,

neighborhoods, etc.– Shot those who tried to escape

into West Berlin.

• “A wall is a lot better than a war.”

Cuban Missile Crisis• U.S. had nuclear missiles in

Turkey.– Soviets put nuclear missiles in Cuba.

• U.S. decided to blockade Cuba.– Soviet ships turned back.

• Soviets offered to remove missiles if the U.S. promised not to invade Cuba.– Demanded that the U.S. remove

missiles from Turkey.

• Closet the world has ever come to nuclear war.

Kennedy’s Assassination

• Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated Kennedy in Dallas, Texas (1963).

• Lyndon B. Johnson was left to carry on Kennedy’s work.

Johnson Enacts Kennedy’s Agenda• War on Poverty– Economic Opportunity Act

• Job Corps• Volunteers in Service to America

(VISTA)

– Tax Reduction Act• Nation’s economy grew by more

than 10% and unemployment declined.

Poverty Rate in America, 1960-2000

The Great Society • Johnson won the Election of 1964.

• Head Start– Education program for preschool children of low-

income parents.

• Department of Housing and Urban Development– Built public low-income housing.

• Medicare & Medicaid– Money for health care for those 65 and over and

for those who live below the poverty line.

• Immigration Act of 1965– Eliminated the National Origins Act of the 1920s.

Johnson’s Legacy• The Great Society provided

important benefits to poorer communities and gave political power to minority groups.

• Lack of funding for the Great Society b/c of the Vietnam War caused many programs to suffer.– “We cannot have guns and butter.”

Reflection

• Describe life in the 1960s. Explain how America changes domestically and what happens in the Cold War.