Promises and Promises and Turmoil of the 60sTurmoil of the 60s

I know I hate on JFK a lot. This is because

he dragged his feet on civil rights when his

promises to do just that got him the

African American vote. He also didn't have

the ability to cajole Southerners in

Congress. Still, in a way he reminds me of

Lincoln in that after a momentous moment

or event they began to change their

mindsets. JFK was moved by the savagery

of the March on Birmingham to fully

support Civil Rights. Then he was

assassinated, so he never had the chance

to prove his newfound support.

Now, LBJ is one of those

controversial figures. He adored

FDR and tried to continue his

legacy of social welfare. Also,

strangely enough he has been

called the "racist who pushed for

much civil rights legislation."

Right?! Very confusing. I will leave

it at that (unless you inquire)

because I really can't give you a

firm opinion of LBJ.

Election of 1960• Nixon (R) v. JFK (D)

– Nixon VP for Eisenhower (8 yrs)– JFK from Massachusetts choose LBJ, a

Texan• Smart move to get Southern votes

• Televised– JFK showed up better during debates

• JFK wins– Uses missile gap argument

JFK Domestic Policies• New Frontier

– Wants reform in education, health care, and civil rights– Lower tariffs (50%) and tax reduction– Most domestic policies blocked by Congress

• Economic Reform– Stimulated economy thru govt spending on space

• Multi-billion program for a man on the moon– Kept steel industry from raising inflationary prices– Not touch tax breaks for rich– No redistribution of wealth– Increase minimum wage to $1.25

1969- under Nixon

JFK Foreign Policies• Foreign Agenda

– Alliance for Progress- $20 billion to help underdeveloped Latin Amer. countries

– Peace Corp (1961) recruit American volunteers to give aid to developing countries (educators, technicians, health workers)

– Renewed commitment to the Cold War and victory over the Soviet

– Construction of nuclear arsenal (5x that of Eisenhower)

– Flexible response• U.S choose among different plans to fight

JFK and the Cold War• Berlin Wall 1961

– Stop heavy population drain from East Germany to West Germany– Wall lasted until 1989

JFK and Cold War II• South Vietnam

– Diem ruling since 1954 lacked public support

– In 1961, JFK sends more troops– U.S. encourage a military coup– Ruling generals failed to direct

effectively– Communist guerillas in the south,

Viet Cong, gained control of more territory and earned the loyalty of an increasing number of South Vietnamese

JFK and Castro• Bay of Pigs

– CIA-backed scheme to spark an uprising by invading Cuba with anticommunist exiles

– April 1961 – 1,200 exiles landed at Cuba’s Bay of Pigs

• Trapped on the beach, 500 dead, they surrendered

– JFK assumed full responsibility for the failure (ransom men)

– Pushed the Cubans even further to the Soviets

JFK and Castro II

• Cuban Missile Crisis– October 1962 –American spy planes discovered that the Soviets were secretly

and speedily installing nuclear-tipped missiles in Cuba– JFK ordered a naval “quarantine” and demanded removal of weapons – On the verge of full-scale nuclear war, if Soviet ships challenge blockade – Soviets agreed to pull out missiles if U.S. ended the quarantine and not invade

Cuba. – Results

• Nuclear Test Ban Treaty 1963• Install Moscow-Washington hot line

JFK Assassination

LBJ in Action• Swiftly passed Kennedy’s civil

rights and tax-cut bills– Some historians say that LBJ

passed Civil Rights Acts to get blacks to stay Democrat not b/c he cared for blacks. (I mean supposedly he used the n word a lot!!)

– Had a way with Congress• The “Johnson Treatment”

Election of 1964• LBJ had the most liberal platform since

Truman’s Fair Deal• Rise of Conservative Republicanism

– Southerns starting to vote Republican

– Goldwater seen as dangerous• Attack income tax• Attack Social Security• For extreme measures with

nuclear war

The Great Society• Michael Harrington’s The Other America (1962) revealed

– 20% of pop., and 40% of black pop., was below the poverty line • Took advantage of fact that Democrats control Congress1. War On Poverty (1964)

a. Create Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) with $1 billion budgeti. Sponsored programs like Head Startii. Fought poverty like it was a social issue and not economic one by train

ppl and not create jobs (differs from the New Deal)i. This is why some believe it failed

Great Society2. Elementary and Secondary Education Act – aid to schools (1st large scale fed. aid)3. Medicare and Medicaid

a. Medical insurance for most age 65 and olderb. Low cost health insurance for poor Americans

4. Two new cabinet dept. Dept of Transportation and Dept of Housing and Urban Development

5. Immigration and Nationality Act (1965) ended quota• Ralph Nader’s, Unsafe at Any Speed and Rachel Carson’s, Silent Spring

– Regulate automobile industry– Clean air and water laws

Evaluating the Great Society• Critics:

– Created a welfare state (nationalized welfare state)– Unrealistic promises– It put too much authority in the hands of the government– Some say it was LBJ’s way of controlling the black community and

keeping it in a state of dependency. Creating the sharecrop sys in the North

– Also created a permanent underclass• Proponents:

– Poverty was cut in half from the early 1960s to 1970s– Poor, disabled and elderly needs at least addressed– Infant mortality rates fell in minority communities

Johnson Foreign Policy• Johnson Doctrine

– A domestic revolution ceases to be a local concern when the object was to establishment a communist dictatorship

• Used to justify troops in D.R • Outer Space Treaty 1967

– Peaceful use of outer space• 6 Day War 1967

– Israel attacked by Egypt. – U.S backed Israel wins

• Pueblo Seizure 1968– 83 man crew ship captured by North Korea– Year later crew released after signing statement of

guilt for spying

Election of 1968• Democrats

– Robert Kennedy • Won CA primary, he was shot to death by an Arab immigrant resentful of the

candidate’s pro-Israel views– V.P Hubert H. Humphrey – Was the heir apparent– Democratic Convention (Chicago) feared angry anti-war protestors

• Republicans– Nixon

• “Hawk” on the Vietnam War and strong anticrime policy• Independent Party

– Wallace, former governor of Alabama• Nuclear war on Vietnam & repress blacks• “Segregation now, tomorrow and forever!”

APUSH BR

• In what ways did the Great Society resemble the New Deal in its origins, goals, and social and political legacy? Cite specific programs and policies in support of your arguments.

• Directions: Part One: Mostly, somewhat or not resemble. (hint: really break this down b/c the question highlights “in its origins, goals and social and political legacy” Part Two: 1 pt of o.i to prove each of your pts (origin, goals, social and political legacy)