JFK and domestic affairs: The New Frontier

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JFK and domestic affairsThe New Frontier
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For homework

• Carefully read each of these slides. This
  presentation is designed to take you through the
  domestic, social, and economic landscape of the
  brief (but extraordinarily important) Presidency
  of John F. Kennedy.
• Take a look at your Enduring Vision, p. 961-966
  if you need clarification. These five pages
  cover many of the same things seen here.
• Depending on timing, you will either watch the
  youtube clips found on some of these slides for
  homework or in class, and will receive a video
  guide for most of them. Pay attention to what is
  said in class and noted on the website.

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The New Frontier

• We stand at the edge of a New Frontier- the
  frontier of unfulfilled hopes and dreams, a
  frontier of unknown opportunities and beliefs in
  peril. Beyond that frontier are uncharted areas
  of science and space, unsolved problems of peace
  and war, unconquered problems of ignorance and
  prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and
  surplus.
• -JFKs 1960 acceptance speech at the Democratic
  National Convention

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JFKs cabinet and advisors The Best and the
Brightest

• JFKs cabinet was populated by many young, Ivy
  League-educated men
• Bobby Kennedy 35 yr. old Attorney General
• Robert McNamara Defense Secretary
• Dean Rusk Secretary of State
• McGeorge Bundy National Security Advisor
• Ted Sorensen speechwriter
• Pierre Salinger Press Secretary

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The Kennedy Economy

• There was a brief economic slowdown at the end of
  the Eisenhower administration
• Economic growth doubles 5.5 yearly from
  1961-63!
• Unemployment decreases dramatically
• Only 1.3 inflation rate on average
• Longest uninterrupted period of growth in
  American history- all the way through 1966! (the
  record until President Clinton)

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The Reality of JFKs First Term

• Theres no sense in raising hell and then not
  being successful. -JFK
• JFK defeated Richard Nixon in 1960 in closest
  election since 1888 (less than 1)
• Congress was dominated by Republicans and
  Southern Democrats it was difficult for JFK to
  get much done!

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Modest achievements?

• Minimum wage raised to 1.25
• Housing Act of 1961 created the Department of
  Housing and Urban Development 4.9 billion for
  urban renewal, mass transit, and housing
• Federal support for the disabled and mentally
  ill http//news.scotsman.com/johnfkennedy/JFKs-si
  ster-dies-after-60.2593460.jp
• Equal Pay Act, 1963 gender equality in pay
• Clean Air Act, 1963 tougher air pollution
  standards
• Proposed many other plans for Medicare,
  education, etc. but few were passed

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Space the final frontier

• 25 billion invested in the Apollo project
• "First, I believe that this nation should commit
  itself to achieving the goal, before this decade
  is out, of landing a man on the Moon and
  returning him back safely to the earth. No single
  space project in this period will be more
  impressive to mankind, or more important for the
  long-range exploration of space and none will be
  so difficult or expensive to accomplish.
• "No nation which expects to be the leader of
  other nations can expect to stay behind in this
  race for space."
• "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and
  do the other things, not because they are easy,
  but because they are hard."

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The civil rights revolution continues

• JFK concentrated more on enforcing existing civil
  rights laws than passing new ones (through
  Attorney General Bobby Kennedy)
• He appointed record numbers of African Americans
  to federal government posts, but also appointed
  racist federal judges in the South
• Stalled until 1962 on his campaign pledge to end
  federal housing segregation
• Kennedy's political strategy was to delay sending
  a civil rights bill to Congress until his second
  term

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The following slides

• Watch only the specific segment of each of these
  videos from YouTube.
• For homework on Monday night, watch the clip on
  slide 11 and use the video sheet provided to you.

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The Freedom Rides

• Click here
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vVAmt_XKBBAM
• 2603-5451

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The story of James Meredith

• Click here
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?v2a32Uc1oP7s
• 3150-5443

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The Birmingham Campaign, 1963

• Click here
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vqJ7k4wMdV5g
• 2119-4242

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JFKs civil rights address to the nation June
11, 1963

• http//www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkcivilr
  ights.htm
• We will read this in class.

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The murder of Medgar Evers June 12, 1963

• We will look at this in class
• http//www.biography.com/articles/Medgar-Evers-954
  2324

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The March on Washington

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vqJ7k4wMdV5g
• 4243-end
• We will watch this in class, too.

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16th Street Baptist Church bombling 4 Little
Girls murdered September 15, 1963

• http//www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?story
  Id1431932

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This concludes

• our brief look at the domestic, social,
  political, and economic aspects of JFKs time in
  office. Next week we will examine his role in
  The Cold War and of course, most famously, his
  tragic assassination.