The Stormy 60’s

The Stormy 60’s

Sexual revolution

Civil Rights struggles

Anti-war protests

Assassinations of John Kennedy, Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy

Feminist revolution

Youth culture

JFK and Cabinet • Youngest president establishes

youngest cabinet

• Attorney General = Robert “Bobby” Kennedy– Biggest opponent = J. Edgar

Hoover, FBI director

– Why

– Bobby begins to have FBI investigate organized crime

– Bobby wants FBI to start getting involved in Civil Rights

• Defense Department= Robert McNamara

ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.

JFK and the “New Frontier”

• Abroad • Peace Corps- an army

of idealistic and mostly youthful volunteers to bring American skills to underdeveloped countries

New Frontier at Home

• In congress- Southern Demos threaten to team up with Reps, shut down any New Frontier Deals (medical assistance for old, and federal aid to education)

• Expands house rules committee

• But bills remain stalled in congress

New Frontier at Home• Economy• Restore economy after

Eisenhower recessions• However, almost immediately

into his term, steel managementannounced great price increases, igniting the fury of the president, but JFK also heard fiery attacks by big business against the New Frontier.

• People worried about free enterprise quit complaining when JFK slashes taxes

New Frontier at Home• Space program• Multi billion dollar project

to get to the moon• Tells public, show that we

can rise to challenges and expand human possibilities

• In reality- wants to get up on USSR in space race (Sputnik)

• 1969- Buzz Aldrin, Neil Armstrong, land on the moon

Rumblings in Europe • 1961- FDR meets

Khrushchev • Khrush makes threats on

cutting Western Access to Berlin, JFK won’t be bullied

• Berlin wall constructed in 1961

• Done to stop East Berliners from going to west

• Stands for 3 decades• West calls it the Wall of

Shame

Western Europe• What makes it prosper

– 1. Marshall Plan– 2. European Economic

Community (EEC), foundation of European Union

• Trade Expansion Act 1962– Cuts tariffs by as much as

50% in EEC countries (Common Market)

• Led to Kennedy Round of tariff negotiations- even better trade with W. Euro

• Beginnings of globalization

The Vietnam Quagmire• New Strategy = “flexible response”

• Develop an array of military options that can be matched with the gravity of the situation

• Increased military spending

• Green Berets

• Problem with flexible response

– Could mean less diplomacy, and more force

– Steps of use of force

• Vietnam demonstrates these

problems

The Vietnam Quagmire• Corrupt, pro-US government

in South Vietnam. Diem• Communists in the south,

Viet-Cong, waging guerrilla civil war.

• Late 1961 Kennedy sharply increases US military advisors.

• 1963- US coup ousts Diem • Ironic- US was supposed to

ensure political stability, instead caused instability

Our Southern Neighbors • Latin American starts to

resent US• 1961 Alliance For

Progress- basically Marshall plan for Latin America

• Shorten income gap between Latin American and US, thus quiet communists agitation

• Poor results- too little too late

Cuban Confrontations

• During Eisenhower, US makes plans to topple Castro, JFK continues on with them

• CIA plans to topple government, with help of anti- Castro rebels

• Bay of Pigs Invasion = huge failure

Cuban Confrontations • BofP and assassination

attempts on Castro force him into Soviet hands

• 1962- US spy planes finds out USSR is installing nuclear tipped missile in Cuba (90 miles away)


• USSR- missiles are to stop US in Cuba, and blackmail US into backing down in Berlin and elsewhere

• 1962- JFK naval quarantine on Cuba, attack from Cuba would result in nuclear retaliation against USSR

• “Nuclear Chicken”


• The whole world watches on edge

• Compromise- Soviets pull missiles out of Cuba, US promises not to invade Cuba

• US secretly removed weapons from Turkey, which were aimed at Soviets

Results of the Cuban Missile Crisis • Khrushchev forced out of power• Kremlin begins an aggressive program

of military expansion; New Arms Race• Democrats gain in the midterm

elections.• Kennedy begins to push for arms

control and greater communications between Russia and the US.– Hotline– Ban on above-ground nuclear tests

agreed to in 1963• Kennedy urges Americans to live with

the Soviets as they are and find a method of peaceful coexistence. – Origins of the policy of Détente.

JFK and civil rights • JFK promised to end racial

discrimination in house “with a stroke of the pen”

• Very slow in acting• Ink for Jack protests- civil

rights groups send him pens

• JFK hesitate because has little control over congress, and needs southern Democrats to support economic and social legislation (education and medical)

CRM in 1960’s

• JFK and Robert worried that MLK advisors could have communists ties, wiretap King’s phone

• Otherwise JFK and MLK have strong relationship

CRM 1960’s• 1963- Birmingham Alabama, most segregated big city

• Blacks = 50% of population, but only 15% of voters

• 1975- 1963- “Bombingham” 50 cross burnings and 18 bomb attacks

• Much opposition police use, fire hoses, attack dogs, electric cattle prods

• All is seen on TV

CRM 1960’s

• JFK, doesn’t turn blind eye like Eisenhower, makes speech advocating new civil rights legislation

• August 63, MLK marches on Washington, with 200,000 in support of new legislation

Death of JFK • Nov 22 1963- JFK is shot is assassinated in Dallas by Lee

Harvey Oswald • Days later, Jack Ruby kills Lee Harvey Oswald • Bizarre events trigger investigation known as the Warren

Commission

Death of JFK

• JFK selected Lyndon B. Johnson to appease southern Democrats

• Lot of tension between “the Harvards” and Southern Dems

• LBJ one of last people to know about death of JFK

LBJ before presidency

• Early career, big fan of FDR• 1941 Senate race (TX) LBJ

realizes liberals don’t win down south

• Turns conservative • Very in your face style,

known as “Johnson Treatment”

LBJ’ Great Society • Civil Rights Act 1964

– Prohibits discrimination in facilities open to the public– Strengthened power to end segregation in schools– Created federal Equal Employment Opportunity

Commission– Prevents both race and gender discrimination.

(Affirmative Action)– Southern Senators try to kill with a lengthy filibuster

• Johnson launches a war on poverty designed to help those not yet getting the benefits of America’s vast wealth. – Dubbed the Great Society Program.– Medicare/Medicaid central pillar

Election of 1964

• Demos- LBJ• Republicans nominate

Senator Barry Goldwater – very, very conservative. – Strongly anti-red, strongly

anti-New Deal.– Believes in small national

government (Jeffersonian)– Wanted American field

commanders to have authority to use tactical nukes in the battle field

Election of 1964• Democrats play up image that

Goldwater is trigger happy • Tonkin Gulf Episode- US

secretly has ships patrolling N. Vietnam, S. Vietnam shoots down US ships

• LBJ response- “limited” retaliatory raid- thus making Goldwater look the opposite

• Daisy Commercial • Tonkin Gulf Resolution-gives

president unlimited authority to defend US forces and members of SEATO

Election of 1964

Great Society Congress • Demos majorities in both houses,

conservative Southerners see writing on the wall

• Congress pushes mass legislation, sim to 100 days

• Continues War on Poverty- EEOC gets 2 billion, 1 billion to Trans App area.

• Created the Dept. of Transportation and Housing and Urban Development.– Names the first Black cabinet secretary

—Robert Weaver• Creates national Endowment for the arts.

Great Society Congress• 4 landmarks of legislation • Four legislative achievements at heart

of Great Society:– Federal Aid to Education– Medicare for the Elderly/Medicaid for the

Poor– Immigration Reform– Voting Rights Act

• Medicare and Medicaid provide medical insurance at governmental expense for elderly and poor

• Medicare and Medicaid join social security and unemployment insurance as part of social safety net.

• M and M based on entitlements, part of “rights” revolution, helps out millions of Americans, but hurts Federal Government’s financial health

Immigration and Nationality Act

• Abolishes quota system

• Doubles number of Immigrants allowed

• 1st time set limits on immigration from Western Hemisphere

• Family Unification clause

Black Power

• VRA of 65 marks end of nonviolent demonstrations

• Focus on integrating blacks into society

• 5 days later Watt Riots occur in LA

• Watts Riot mark a new more militant phase in Civil Rights movement, now sometimes aimed at black separatism

Black Power• New ldrs mock MLK• Malcolm X- Nation of

Islam, black separatism• Black Panther Party

(militant) forms in Oakland • Stokely Carmichael begins

preaching black power– To some, it meant that

African American should exercise new political and economic gains, speed up integration

– To others- separatists message, complete rejection of white culture

LBJ and Communism

• Viet Cong bombs American base in S. Vietnam

• Orders retaliatory bombing raids (1st time) known as Operation Rolling Thunder

• Felt step by step escalation of American forces would drive Viet Cong back

LBJ and Communism

• South Vietnam are guests of own war,

• America forces take more control, while South V. goes through corrupt governments

• 1968- LBJ puts another half million troops, and war budget exceeds 30 billion

America looking bad

• World opinion getting worse on US

• Several countries expel American Peace Corps

• Charles De Gaulle withdraws France from NATO (66) ordered all US troops out of his country

Domestic Problems of War

• Anti war feelings increased in US

• Protests start on college campuses “teach-ins”

• Burn draft cards, head to Canada

• “Hey, hey LBJ, how many kids have you killed today”


• Senate Committee on Foreign Relations- headed by William Fulbright

• Televised hearings• American public

beginning to feel duped about causes and winability of war


• Defense Sec. McNamara- “we were wrong, terribly wrong”

• Public questioning motives, loss of American life, excessive bomb dropping

• LBJ uses CIA to spy on antiwar protestors, FBI uses counter intelligence (cointelpro)

• Despite problems, LBJ continues to slowly escalate war

Vietnam slowly killing LBJ

• Tet Offensive- Viet Cong makes huge coordinated push

• While US pushes offensive back, Tet Offensive convince American public that LBJ’s strategy won’t work

Vietnam slowly killing LBJ• Military leaders request

200,000 more troops• 1968 Democratic

Convention– Eugene McCarthy

– Robert F. Kennedy

– Both threaten LBJ

• LBJ goes on TV, freeze troop levels, reduce bombing, and shocked everybody stating he will not run for president

Election of 1968

• Democratic Convention of 68 in Chicago

• Mayor Richard Daley- barb wired barricades, brings and national guards

• Hubert Humphrey wins, but Democratic party looks very disorganized

Election of 1968

• Republicans- Richard Nixon, appeasing to conservatives and moderates

• Call for a victory in Vietnam, strong anti-crime policy

• American Independent Party

• George C Wallace• “Segregation now,

Segregation tomorrow, Segregation forever”

Election of 1968• Nixon and Humphrey have similar policies on VN. No real choice between the

two.– As a result, many sat out the election because no standard-bearer for their views.

• Nixon wins by half a percentage point without carrying a single major city and • Both houses of Congress remain Democratic. Democrats win 95% of the black

vote. • Nixon wins only 43% of the vote because Wallace had siphoned off votes from

both. • Wallace wins 46 electoral votes from the deep south. Largest third-party electoral

vote in American history.

Legacy of LBJ

• Dies 4 years after election

• Biggest mover and shaker in terms of civil rights and helping poor

• Vietnam often overshadows domestic programs

How is it possible that all these people could be so ungrateful to me after I had given them so much? I tried to make it possible for every child of every color to grow up in a nice house, to eat a solid breakfast, to attend a decent school, and to get a good and lasting job. I asked so

little in return. Just a little thanks. Just a little appreciation. That's all.-LBJ-Interview 1967

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The Stormy 60’s