Promises and Turmoil of the 60s

1
Promises and Turmoil of the 60s
2
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.
3
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.
4
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

5
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
6
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

7
JFK and the Cold War

• Berlin Wall 1961
• Stop heavy population drain from East Germany to
  West Germany
• Wall lasted until 1989

8
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

9
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 Cubas 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

10
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

11
JFK Assassination
12
LBJ in Action

• Swiftly passed Kennedys 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

13
Election of 1964

• LBJ had the most liberal platform since Trumans
  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

14
The Great Society

• Michael Harringtons 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
  Congress
• War On Poverty (1964)
• Create Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) with
  1 billion budget
• Sponsored programs like Head Start
• Fought poverty like it was a social issue and not
  economic one by train ppl and not create jobs
  (differs from the New Deal)
• This is why some believe it failed

15
Great Society

• 2. Elementary and Secondary Education Act aid
  to schools (1st large scale fed. aid)
• 3. Medicare and Medicaid
• Medical insurance for most age 65 and older
• 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 Naders, Unsafe at Any Speed and Rachel
  Carsons, Silent Spring
• Regulate automobile industry
• Clean air and water laws

16
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 LBJs 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

17
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

18
Election of 1968

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

19
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)