The Election of 1960• Eisenhower’s popularity began to

go down towards the end of the 1950’s– USSR’s launch of Sputnik I in

1957, and their development of long-rang missiles U.S. felt that the US military was falling behind

– U2 incident – Alignment of Cuba with the

Soviet Union– Economy started to go into a

recession (slow down)– Health was failing

The Election of 1960• Democrats nominate John F.

Kennedy– Massachusetts state senator– Promised Active Leadership “to get

America moving again”– Well run, organized campaign backed

by wealthy family– Roman Catholic…

• Republicans nominated Richard Nixon– Eisenhower’s Vice President– Hoped to ride the coattails of

Eisenhower

The Election of 1960-Televised Debate• The two candidates had similar positions on many

issues, but two things made Kennedy stand out– Television– Civil Rights

• Kennedy and Nixon took part in the first televised debate– September 26th, 1960– Both men were articulate and knowledgeable– Kennedy appeared calm, cool, collected and

charismatic, and handsome – Nixon was stiff, cold, and not appealing to the eye

The Election of 1960-Civil Rights• In October of 1960 Police in

Atlanta, Georgia arrested the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr.– He and 33 others were

arrested for sitting at a segregated lunch counter

– The other demonstrators were released, but King was sentenced to a month of hard labor-officially for a traffic violation

The Election of 1960-Civil Rights• The Eisenhower administration refused to

intervene in the King situation, and Nixon took no public position

• Kennedy on the other hand, sprang into action!– Telephoned King’s wife to express his

sympathy – Kennedy’s brother Robert (also his campaign

manager), persuaded the judge who had sentenced King to release him on bail, pending an appeal

– Clearly the African American community was going to throw there support to Kennedy

The Election of 1960• The election was the closest election since 1884,

Kennedy won by only 119,000 votes!

A New Military Policy• From the beginning, Kennedy focused on the

Cold War, he didn’t feel that the Eisenhower administration had done enough about the Soviet threat– Kennedy felt that the Soviets were gaining

loyalties in less economically developed places such as Asia, Africa, and Latin America

– Also was very worried about the Communist take over in Cuba

• Kennedy decides to change the US’ military strategy when it comes to dealing with the Soviets

A New Military Policy• Kennedy changed Eisenhower’s policy of mass

retaliation with nuclear weapons to something much less risky, flexible response– Prepare for a variety of military responses to

international crises rather than focusing on the use of nuclear weapons

– He increased defense spending in order to boost conventional military forces

– Created an elite branch of the army called the Special Forces, or the Green Berets

– Tripled the overall nuclear capabilities of the US– Could still fight limited wars when needed but

keep up with the nuclear power of the Soviets

Crisis over Cuba• The first test in foreign policy for

Kennedy came in Cuba with a plan that was created by Eisenhower and would take place in April of 1961, the Bay of Pigs invasion

Background to the story• From 1956-1959 a revolutionary

leader in Cuba named Fidel Castro led a guerrilla movement to overthrow the dictator of Cuba, Fulgencio Batista

• He gained popularity by promising democracy for Cuba, and in 1959 won control

Crisis over Cuba• Castro told Reporters, “Revolutionaries are not

born, they are made by poverty, inequality, and dictatorship.” He then promised to eliminate these conditions from Cuba

• The US was suspicious of Castro’s intentions, but still recognized the new government

• Castro then:– Seized three American and British oil refineries– Broke up commercial farms (sugar plantations

owned by the US) which came to be worked by landless peasants

– As a result, the US passed a series of trade barriers against Cuba

Crisis over Cuba• Castro relied increasingly on

Soviet aid and the people of Cuba who taken by his charisma and willingness to stand up to the US– However, not everyone

liked him some saw him as a tyrant Castro would go after those who thought this

– About 10% of the Cuban population went into exile, mostly to the US (Miami)

Crisis over Cuba- The Bay of Pigs• In March of 1960 Eisenhower gave

the CIA permission to secretly train Cuban exiles for an invasion of Cuba– Hoped it would trigger a mass

uprising that would overthrow Castro

• Kennedy learned of this plan 9 days after his election and reluctantly approved it

• On the night of April 17th, 1961 some 1,300 to 1,500 Cuban exiles supported by U.S. military landed on Cuba’s southern coast at the Bay of Pigs

Crisis over Cuba- The Bay of Pigs• From the moment they landed, there

were several problems:– A US airstrike had failed to knock

out the Cuban air force, although the CIA said it was a success

– A small advance group sent to distract Castro’s forces never reached shore

• When the main unit landed they were greeted by 25,000 Cuban troops backed by Soviet tanks and jet aircraft– Some exiles were killed, other

were taken prisoners

Crisis over Cuba- The Bay of Pigs• Both the Cuban and the American Media jumped

all over the botched invasion– From Cuba’s perspective, they sensationalized

the defeat of “North American Mercenaries!”– From the US’ perspective the Americans, “look

like fools to our friends, rascals to our enemies, and incompetents to the rest.”

• The disaster left Kennedy embarrassed and forced him to publicly take the blame for the fiasco– He then negotiated with Castro for the release

of the prisoners in which he paid a ransom of $52 million in food and medical supplies

Crisis over Cuba-The Cuban Missile Crisis• Castro and Khrushchev were very

close allies, and Khrushchev promised to defend Cuba with Soviet arms– Summer of 1962 the flow of Soviet

arms, including nuclear missiles, increased greatly

– Kennedy responded with a warning that America would not tolerate offensive nuclear weapons in Cuba

• October 14, 1962 photographs taken by American planes showed that there were Soviet missile bases in Cuba –some had missiles that were ready to launch at the US

Crisis over Cuba-The Cuban Missile Crisis• October 22nd Kennedy informed an anxious

nation of the existence of Soviet missiles in Cuba and his plans to remove them– Made it clear that any missile attack

from Cuba would trigger an all-out attack on the Soviet Union

• For the next six days, the world waited to see how this terrifying situation would play out– Soviet Ships headed toward Cuba– The US Navy prepared to quarantine

Cuba and prevent ships from coming within 500 miles of it

– 100,000 US troops waited in Florida

Crisis over Cuba-The Cuban Missile Crisis• The first break in the crisis

occurred when the Soviet Ships stopped suddenly to avoid a confrontation at sea– “We are eyeball to eyeball,

and the other fellow just blinked” – Secretary of State, Dean Rusk

• A few days later Khrushchev offered to remove the missiles in return or an American pledge not to invade Cuba– The US also secretly agreed

to remove missiles from Turkey

Kennedy and Khrushchev Take the Heat• Both leaders suffered negatively from the crisis– Khrushchev’s prestige in the Soviet Union and the

world was severely damages– Kennedy lost the Cuban vote, and was criticized for

using brinkmanship when talks could have solved the problem

• In Cuba, Castro closed Cuba’s doors to the exiles in November 1962– In 1964 many Cubans took advantage of an

agreement which allowed Cubans to join relatives in the United States

– By 1973, the Cuban population in Miami had increased to about 300,000!

Kennedy and the New Frontier• In his inaugural address, Kennedy had promised progress,

to achieve this he set forth a plan which he called the New Frontier the idea was to:– Provide medical care for the aged– Rebuild blighted urban areas– Aid education– Bolster national defense– Increase international aid– Expand the Space program

• However, Kennedy faces the same roadblocks that Truman had faced– Conservative Republicans, and Southern Democrats– As a result, not all of his ideas would be accepted

Kennedy and the New Frontier- Economy• By 1960, America was in a recession with an

unemployment rate around 6% and Kennedy and his advisors pushed for deficit spending– When a government spends more money that it

receives in revenues– Stimulating economic growth would be achieved by

government spending and lowering taxes• In 1961 JFK sent a proposals to Congress for additional

spending – Dept. of Defense received a 20% budget increase– Minimum wage increase to $1.25 and hour– Extended unemployment insurance and provided

assistance to cities with high unemployment

Kennedy and the New Frontier- Poverty Abroad

• One of the first things Kennedy did to fight poverty Abroad was to create the Peace Corps– Volunteer assistance to the developing nations of

Asia, Africa, and Latin America– Nicknamed “Kennedy’s Kiddie Korps” because

most who joined were right out of college– All types of people joined, agriculture advisors,

teachers, health aids and took whatever work the host countries needed

• Another agency was the Alliance for Progress– Offered economical and technical assistance to

Latin American countries– So they wouldn’t fall under Castro

Tragedy in Dallas• On November 22nd, 1963 Air Force One

landed in Dallas, Texas for Kennedy’s visit with Democrats– JFK and his wife Jacqueline sat in

the backseat of an open-air limousine and in front sat the Texas Governor John Connally and his Wife

– As the limo was approaching the Texas School Book Depository, rifle shots rang out, and Kennedy was shot in the head

– He was rushed to the hospital, but soon died

Tragedy in Dallas• The next four days became very

tense and somber for the US and television became the “window of the world”– Pictures of Lyndon B. Johnson

taking the oath of office onboard Air Force One were broadcast on TV

– Audiences watched as Dallas police charged Lee Harvey Oswald with the murder of JFK

– Then watched live as Oswald was shot by Jack Ruby, while being transferred between Jails

Tragedy in Dallas• November 25th, 1963

all work in the US stopped for Kennedy’s funeral

• The assassination and the televised funeral became a historic event

• What it proved to the United States was that our system of government is remarkably sturdy as it was a smooth transition for Johnson

Unanswered Questions• The bizarre chain of events made some people

wonder if Oswald was part of a conspiracy– In 1963, the Warren Commission investigated

and concluded that Oswald acted alone– In 19779 a reinvestigation concluded that Oswald

was part of a conspiracy and that there may have been a second shooter

– There have been numerous independent investigations which have turned up theories such as:• Plot by anti-Castro Cubans• Communist sponsored attack• Conspiracy by the CIA

LBJ’s Path to Power• Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) was

known for his ambition and for his drive– Was from Texas which was where he

entered into politics in 1937 by winning a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives

– Considered him self a “New Dealer” and advocated for the small ranchers and farmers in his district

– Was very good friends with FDR, who took him under his wing and helped him secure seats on Congressional committees

– Johnson idolized FDR

LBJ’s Path to Power• After serving in the US H of R, Johnson

had his sights set on the Senate– He squeaked out a seat in the

Senate in 1948 and by 1955 had rose to the Majority Leader

– Developed an uncanny way of persuading senators to support his bills called it the LBJ treatment which was what captured Kennedy’s eye

• Johnson’s congressional connection and his Southern Protestant background compensated for Kennedy’s drawbacks so Kennedy asked Johnson to run as his V.P.

Johnson’s Domestic Agenda- Tax Reduction

• Five days into his presidency, LBJ appeared before a joint session of Congress and asked that they continue on with Kennedy’s plan for the country– In February of 1964 Congress

passed a Tax Reduction Bill of over $10 billion into law

– Democrats hoped it would spur economic growth

– How?– It was successful in that it lowered

the federal budget deficit from $6 billion in 1964 to $4 billion in 1966

Johnson’s Domestic Agenda- Civil Rights• LBJ was also successful

in getting congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964– Prohibited

discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and sex

– Granted the Federal government powers to enforce these provisions

Johnson’s Domestic Agenda-Poverty• After getting Kennedy’s

bills approved, LBJ went on to peruse his own goals, one of which was eliminating poverty– August 1964 the

Economic Opportunity Act (EOA) was passed• Gave nearly $1

billion for youth programs, antipoverty measures, small-business, loans, and job training

Election of 1964Republicans-

Berry Goldwater• Believed federal gov.

had no business trying fix social problems

• Attacked programs such as welfare and social security

• Suggested that he might use nuclear weapons if needed

• Advocated intervention in Vietnam

Democrats-Lyndon B. Johnson

• Stance on gov. intervention?

• Stance on gov. funded aid?

• Johnson’s commercial on Goldwater’s nuclear stance

• Johnson didn’t want to get involved with Vietnam… wouldn’t solve the problem

Election of 1964

Building the Great Society• Once re-elected, Johnson

summed up his vision for the United States, it became known as the Great Society– Plan to reduce poverty end

racial injustice, and promote a better quality kind of life

– By the time LBJ left office in 1969, Congress as passed 206 of his measures and he personally led the battle on all the issues