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The New Frontier

Angela BrownChapter 28 Section 1

Learning Targets:

1. Describe the election of 1960 and its outcome.

2. Summarize Kennedy’s domestic Programs.

3. Explain Americans’ reaction to President Kennedy’s assassination

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The Election of 1960 Sept 1960 First

televised Presidential debate Nixon vs. Kennedy

http://www.freehorsierides.com/images/feature/debate_nixon_ken.jpg

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Kennedy

• Kennedy Massachusetts, Democrat

• Served in the U.S. House and Senate

• 43 years old – Roman Catholic

• Questioned: old enough and experienced to be President

• Many thought a Roman Catholic could not be elected President .

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Kennedy• Promised to spur

sluggish economy – time to “Get America Moving Again

• Kennedy won close election 303 to 219 electoral votes but only 120,000 popular votes.

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/debatingourdestiny/images/1960-header.jpg

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Kennedy• Kennedy was

youngest ever elected but TR held office at a younger age when McKinley assassinated.

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Kennedy

• Mandate - a set of wishes expressed to a candidate by his or her voters

• Without a strong mandate Kennedy would have a difficult time pushing controversial measures through Congress.

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Inauguration• Inaugural Address:

“Ask what you can do for your country” speech

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/images/kenn.jpg

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Kennedy

• Young wife, Jacqueline, full of idealism and youth = nicknamed “Camelot” after 1960 Broadway musical

• “King Arthur dreamed of transforming country into one where power would be used to achieve right” rather than using might

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http://www.willishenry.com/c-17%20w%20Jackie%20Kennedy.jpg

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Kennedy’s Domestic Programs

• Early speech stated nation poised at edge of New Frontier.

• Name stuck, used to describe Kennedy’s proposals to improve the economy, give aid to the poor, and breathe new life into the space program.

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The Economy

• Business leaders suspicious of JFK’s plans.

• 1962 U.S. steel company raised price $6 a ton - other firms did same

• JFK called increase unjustifiable – ordered Federal Investigation into price fixing

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Economy

• U.S. steel and others backed down – Business leaders angry – stock market fell steepest since 1929

• 1963 JFK proposed cutting taxes - $13.5 billion over three years

• Bottled up in Congress – no hope of passing

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Combating Poverty and Inequality• Hoped to help poor by stimulating economy• 1962 Micheal Harrington book, The Other

America stated 1/5 U.S. below poverty line• Kennedy began to believe direct aid was

necessary.• Kennedy rarely succeeded in getting

legislation through Congress – plans for ed., medical care, and elderly failed

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24th Amendment

• He was able to raise minimum wage and pass Housing Act 1961 = $4.9 billion for urban renewal

• Congress also approved 24th Amendment – outlawed Poll tax

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The Space Program

• Government agencies and industries worked with NASA, National Aeronautics and Space Agency, to put a manned spacecraft in orbit around Earth .

• 1959 Mercury Program trained seven test pilots.

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• Government spending and future of NASA uncertain when Kennedy task force recommended NASA concentrate on missions without human crews.

April 1961 USSR announced Yuri Gagarin first human to travel in space circled Earth on board Soviet Craft Vostok - once again Americans feared falling behind

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Space Program• 23 days later Alan

Shepard made a 15 – minute suborbital flight

• altitude 115 miles• convinced JFK to

move forward

http://www.mythicalireland.com/astronomy/other/alan-shepard.jpg

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John Glenn

• May 25th JFK boldly challenge nation to land a man on moon before end of decade.

• 1962 John Glenn completed three orbits around Earth.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/John_Glenn_Mercury_(small).jpg

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• On February 20, 1962, Glenn piloted the Mercury-Atlas 6 "Friendship 7" spacecraft on the first manned orbital mission of the United States.

• Launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, he completed a successful three-orbit mission around the earth, reaching a maximum altitude (apogee) of approximately 162 statute miles and an orbital velocity of approximately 17,500 miles per hour.

• Glenn's "Friendship 7" Mercury spacecraft landed approximately 800 miles southeast of KSC in the vicinity of Grand Turk Island.

• Mission duration from launch to impact was 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 23 seconds.

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/glenn-j.html

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http://www.romfart.no/Sitater/Bilder/KennedyJohnGlennJohnMercury.jpg

http://fcit.usf.edu/FLORIDA/photos/nasa/people/photos/people10.jpg

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Neil Armstrong• July 20, 1969 Neil

Armstrong became the first person to set foot on the moon.

http://www.visitmiamicounty.org/content/attractions/images/Neil-Armstrong-on-moon-July.jpg

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Neil Armstrong

http://www.nndb.com/people/488/000022422/

http://www.geocities.com/armstrong_tribute/apollo/apollo/IMAG0001.JPG

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Kennedy Assassination

• November 22, 1963 campaign in Dallas, Texas with Governor John Connally in open limousine

• President Kennedy and John Connolly shot

• President Kennedy pronounced dead at hospital – nation shattered

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Kennedy Assassination

http://www.jfk-assassination.de/images/z335.gif

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http://www.zeitenschrift.net/magazin/2-jfk.jpg

http://truetalk.typepad.com/truetalk/images/jfk_funeral.jpg

27http://www.whatreallyhappened.com/RANCHO/POLITICS/JFK/ALT_ANNOT.jpg

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Oswald• Chief Justice Earl

Warren formed commission to investigate.

• Lee Harvey Oswald, former marine and supporter of Fidel Castro, prime suspect

http://www.oorei.com/imagenes/mugshot.lee.harvey.oswald.jpg

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Lee Harvey Oswald

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Ruby• Transfer from one

jail to another Nov. 24th – killed by Jack Ruby, Dallas nightclub owner

• Warren Commission declared Oswald had worked alone

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Johnson• Many believed in a

larger Conspiracy – Oswald killed to protect others

• Lyndon B. Johnson took Presidential Oath on board Air Force One ninety minutes after Kennedy’s death.

http://www.visitingdc.com/images/lyndon-johnson-picture.jpg

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Swearing in

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/lincoln-memorial/images/johnson-oath.gif

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• 1991 movie by Oliver Stone – JFK stressed conspiracy theory and confused facts and myths in minds of many Americans.

http://www.altfg.com/Reviews/Jfk.htm

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Who’s to blame???

• Johnson believed larger plot by Castro.

• Others believed Soviets, mob, CIA, even Johnson himself

U.S. planes in air – Government did not know what was to come – other targets possible invasion

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Conspiracy• For many Americans Oswald was not

significant enough to warrant the tremendous damage of losing Kennedy.

• Nazi’s greatest Evil government = Greatest tragedy in the persecution of the Jews in WWII

• Scales do not balance • Americans seek to balance the scales.

Exit Slip:

1. One obstacle Kennedy faced in his quest for the presidency was his…

2. Compare JFK’s handling of business interests such as U.S. Steel with TR’s handling of trusts.

3. During the 1960s presidential Campaign, JFK promised to…

4. The Warren Commission declared that Kennedy’s assassination was the work of a …

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