Chapter 20 Section 2 The New Frontier. The Camelot Years Kennedy inauguration –Set tone for new...

Chapter 20 Section 2The New Frontier

The Camelot Years

• Kennedy inauguration– Set tone for new era in

White House• Grace• Elegance • Wit

The Camelot Years

• Gave an inspiring speech- “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”

• During his term recognized art and culture and appeared frequently on TV

Kennedy Mystique

• Critics said he was all style with no substance

• But 1st family fascinated the public

• After learning JFK could read 1,600 wpm– Thousands enrolled in

speed reading courses

Kennedy Mystique

• 1st lady had influence on fashion and culture

• Media fascinated with Kennedy children

• 1st family’s glamour seemed like a fairy tale

• JFK & his advisors reminded many of a modern day Camelot

The Best and the Brightest

• JFK surrounded himself with young intellectuals and business people

• Media called them the “Best and the Brightest”


• McGeorge Bundy– National Security

Advisor


• Robert McNamara– Secretary of Defense


• Dean Rusk– Secretary of State


• Robert Kennedy– Brother– 35 years old– Attorney General

The Promise of Progress

• New Frontier-JFK’s legislative agenda

• Called on Americans to be “new pioneers” and explore “uncharted areas of science and space…unconquered pockets of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and surplus.”


• JFK had a hard time turning his New Frontier into reality

• Showed little skill in pushing his domestic reforms through Congress

• Lacked a mandate- a clear indication that voters approved of his plans


• As a result of not having a mandate, JFK played it safe

• Was able to persuade Congress to enact measures to– Boost economy– Build national

defense– Provide international

aid– Fund a massive

space program

Stimulating the Economy

• US stuck in a recession by 1960

• Unemployment at 6%• JFK criticized

Eisenhower for not doing more to stimulate the economy


• Advocated deficit spending

• Felt economy would grow with a mixture of government spending and lower taxes


• Dept. of Defense budget increased by 20%– New nuclear missiles– Nuclear submarines– Expansion of armed

services


• Congress increased minimum wage to $1.25/ hour

• Extended unemployment insurance

• Provide assistance to cities with high unemployment

Addressing Poverty Abroad

• Created Peace Corps- volunteer assistance to developing nations of Latin America, Asia, and Africa


• Critics referred to the fact that the volunteers were so young

• Many foreigners questioned whether Americans understood other cultures


• Peace Corps became a huge success

• People of all ages and backgrounds signed up to work as– Agricultural advisors– Teachers– Health aides


• By 1968 – more than 35,000 volunteers served in more than 60 nations


• Alliance for Progress- offered economic and technical assistance to help Latin American nations

• Meant to spread of communism


• Alliance for Progress– Built schools– Houses– Sanitation facilities– Encouraged economic

reforms

Between 1961 and 1969 the US invested almost $12 billion in Latin America

Race to the Moon

• April 12, 1961- Soviets launched 1st man into space

• Yuri Gagarin• Americans stunned• JFK saw this as a

challenge that had to be met

Race to the Moon

• JFK set goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth

• To be achieved by the end of the decade (1960s)

• Within weeks NASA began building new launch facilities

Race to the Moon

• February 20, 1962- Colonel John Glenn orbited earth 3 times

• Later that year- satellite Telstar relayed live TV pictures across the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Europe

Race to the Moon

• July 20, 1969- U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong becomes the 1st man to walk on the moon

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/modern/jb_modern_subj_e.html

Race to the Moon

• Space race impacted many parts of society– Education– Science and

technology– Computers– Miniaturized

electronics

New Domestic Agenda

• 1962- problem of poverty came to national attention

• The Other America by Michael Harrington used govmt stats to profile 42 million Americans that made less than $1000/year

New Domestic Agenda

• Mass movement against segregation also emerged

• JFK pushed for legislation dealing with poverty and civil rights

Tragedy in Dallas

• Fall 1963• JFK had popular

support• 60% of the public

approved of him

Four Days in November

• November 22, 1963• In Dallas to repair

relationship with Texas Democratic party


• Sat next to his wife in an open air limousine

• Texas Governor John Connally sat in front of him

• Car approached Texas School Book Depository


• Kennedy shot in the head

• Rushed to hospital• JFK died less than an

hour after he had been shot


• Lyndon Baines Johnson becomes new President


• Dallas police charge Lee Harvey Oswald with the murder of JFK– Oswald’s palm print on the

rifle used to kill the President

– Former Marine sniper– Dishonorably discharged– Lived briefly in the Soviet

Union– Active supporter of Fidel

Castro


• November 24, 1963• Oswald being

transferred from one prison to another – on live TV

• Shot by Dallas night club owner Jack Ruby

• Oswald died less than an hour later


• November 25, 1963• JFK buried at

Arlington National Cemetary

Unanswered Questions

• Many wondered if Oswald acted as part of a conspiracy

• Commission presided by Chief Justice Earl Warren conducted an extensive 10 month investigation


• Warren Commission- concluded that Oswald did shoot JFK and acted on his own

• However, in a 1979 congressional committee- they concluded that…


• Oswald probably shot Kennedy

• But in conspiracy with unknown people

• Possible that 2 people fired at the President

Chapter 20 Section 2 The New Frontier. The Camelot Years Kennedy inauguration –Set tone for new...

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