KENNEDY, JOHNSON, & ACTIVISM

John F. Kennedy, 43Young and CatholicPromised to help slow the economy

THE 1960 ELECTIONA NEW TYPE OF CANDIDATE

September 26, 19601st televised presidential debateJFK – young, tan, relaxed, fitNixon – sick, underweight, loose shirt, no

shaveSaw on TV: JFK wonHeard on Radio: Nixon won

TV’S ROLE

VP Lyndon Baines JohnsonWon popular vote by only 19,000 votesEntered into offi ce without a mandateMandate – public endorsement

A NARROW KENNEDY WIN

1963 – wrote book “The Other America”1/5th of Americans were living below the

poverty line1961 – Housing Act for urban renewal24th Amendment – no poll taxEqual Pay Act – Same work = same pay

COMBATING POVERTY & INEQUALITY

April 1961 – USSR sent man to spaceMay 25, 1961 – JFK challenges NASA to do

sameSaid they had 10 yearsChanged school systems – emphasis on math

and science

THE SPACE PROGRAM

November 22, 1963Campaign swing though TexasTexas School Book Depository, 6 th floor3 shots1:00pm JFK pronounced dead

ASSASSINATION

Lee Harvey Oswald arrestedOn TV, LHO was transferred jailsShot by Jack Ruby on TVNovember 29 th - Warren Commission Investigated assassination, LHO acted alone

LBJ sworn in on JFK’s deathDemocrat from TexasWon his seat by 87 votesTook offer from JFK for VP after failed

nominationHated VP – no real powerAs President, kept JFK’s agenda and added to

it

JOHNSON BECOMES PRESIDENT

Series of Legislation by Johnson

THE GREAT SOCIETY

Economic Opportunity Act 1964 Combat poverty

Volunteers in Service to America 1964 Volunteers sent to help poor communities

Medicare 1965 Provide medical insurance for Americans 65 and older

Medicaid 1965 Provide medical insurance for poor Americans

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

1965 Educational aid to states based on number of low income children

Immigration Act 1965 Eliminate quotas

Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

1965 Oversee housing needs, rent supplements, low-income housing

National Foundation of the Arts and Humanities

1965 Grants to artists and scholars

Water Quality Act & Clean Water Restoration Act

1965 Water and air quality standards, funding for environmental research

National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act

1966 Established safety standards for all vehicles

Case Date Outcome

Roth v. US 1957 Banned obscene materials

Engel v. Vitale 1962 Banned prayer in school

Gideon v. Wainwright 1963 Free legal aid for arrested people

Escobedo v. Illinois 1964 Lawyer during questioning

Miranda v. Arizona 1966 Rights read upon arrest

THE WARREN COURT

Plan to Overthrow CastroCuba 90 miles from Florida JFK took office with plan already in motionCIA training Cubans to overthrow

BAY OF PIGS INVASION

Military CatastropheApril 17, 1961Airstrike failed to take out Cuba’s Air ForceCuba’s troops were better than anticipatedUS looked like failures

Tensions in GermanyAfter WWII, Berlin dividedBerlin Airlift made USSR angryWanted permanent divisionKhrushchev made public ultimatum JFK felt bullied

BERLIN CRISIS

JFK added $3 Billion to defenseBuilt up armed forcesSoviets built Berlin WallStandoff but not war

JFK TAKES ACTION

Spy plane showed USSR missile base in Cuba

Had 4 optionsFurther negotiate with Khrushchev Invade CubaBlockade CubaBomb middle sites

October 22 on TV JFK confirms nukes in Cuba

Public – fear and anger, not panic

CUBAN MISSILE CRISISKENNEDY’S OPTIONS

JFK put in blockade2 nations on brink of nuclear warPeople huddled in sheltersSoviet ships ran at blockadeTurned at last minute

THE WORLD WAITS

Middle base construction continuedDeal made:

Soviet missiles out of CubaUS stays out of CubaUS takes missile out of Turkey

JFK is a hero

DISASTER AVOIDED

Efforts made to reduce nuclear warRed Phone “Hotline” USSR to USALimited Test Ban Treaty

No above ground testing Underground still ok

AFTER EFFECTS

ACTIVISM

Feminism – equality for femalesEducation and Employment

1970 – 43% of college degrees went to women

Companies didn’t want to train womenAssumed they’d leave for families1963 – women made 59 cents per $1 a man made

Wanted equal pay

WOMEN’S MOVEMENT

Used techniques from Civil RightsTitle VII – prohibited discriminationUsed to sue for rights

IMPACT OF CIVIL RIGHTS

1963 –The Feminine MystiqueTalked of dissatisfied housewivesSome women felt betrayed Happy with their roles in the home1966 – National Organization for

Women (NOW)Goal to get equality for women

WOMEN’S GROUPS ORGANIZE

A shift in attitude toward womenExplored new careersRoe vs. Wade

1973 Right to choose Legalized abortion Still a controversial ruling

ERA Equal Rights Amendment Proposed in 1972 Had to have 38 states to ratify In 1977, 35 states had Amendment died in 1982

IMPACT OF FEMINISM

Some women fought the ERASaid it wouldn’t help Some said they wanted to be wives and

mothersAA women felt that race was more importantSlow change overall

OPPOSITION TO WOMEN’S MOVEMENT

Latinos60s and 70s saw increase in immigrationChicano MovementWanted to keep culture and dual heritageUnequal schools, jobs, payCesar Chavez

Migrant farm worker’s rights United Farm Workers (UFW) Better pay, conditions, treatment

ETHNIC MINORITIES SEEK EQUALITY

Prejudice during WWII continuedPut in camps for duration of warCreated Japanese American Citizens League

(JACL)Fought for losses from time in campsWanted equal pay as whitesMade gains faster than any other minority

ASIAN AMERICANS

Always looked down upon1871 – US didn’t recognize as independent

nationsDidn’t give NA citizenship until 1924Suffer unemployment, suicide, poverty,

alcoholismStill claimed old landsAmerican Indian Movement (AIM)Fight for NA nation’s autonomySue government for land and rights70s – laws passed for gov. money, programs,

help

NATIVE AMERICANS

Hippies – peace, love, and freedomFelt “generation gap” with parents1960’s saw the Baby Boomers in schoolBaby Boomers – children born in the 10 years

after WWIINew clothes and music

COUNTERCULTURE:A TIME OF CHANGE

Gave up structured styles of the 1950’sLoose hair and clothesLots of colors and patternsPop Art grew out of the loud clothesAndy Warhol “Campbell’s Soup”

SIXTIES STYLE

Freedom in both lives and partnersExperimented with living pattersCommunes and co-habitationFewer marriages

SEXUAL REVOLUTION

Freedom to expand mindsHallucinations and altered perceptionsUniversities developed and tested drugs on

hippiesNumber of overdoses skyrocketedFamous: Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi

HendricksTheir deaths slowed down usageLeft lasting impact on health

of baby boomers

DRUGS AND THE 1960S

1964 – The Beatles come to AmericaChange the way we listenFolk Rock became trendyProtest songs, guitars and tambourines

MUSIC

August 1969400,000 people in Bethel, NYPolice kept the peace, did not enforce drug

lawsMusic, Love, Drugs, FreedomEnd of a generation

WOODSTOCK

December 1969Altamont Speedway in CaliforniaTried to be like WoodstockRolling Stones hired Hells Angels for securityViolence eruptedChanged the pace of hippie culture

ALTAMONT

Silent Spring 1958 by Rachel Carson DDT – pesticide sprayed over much of US Would kill everything – plants and animals Need to change environmental policy

Outcome DDT banned in US Eagles put on endangered species list People began to notice pollution EPA founded Clear Air and Water Act

ENVIRONMENTAL MOVEMENT