THE NEW FRONTIER AND THE GREAT SOCIETY

KENNEDY AND JOHNSON LEAD AMERICA IN THE

1960S

Learning Objectives:Section 2 - The New Frontier

• 1. Summarize the New Frontier domestic and foreign agendas.

• 2. Describe the tragic chain of events surrounding Kennedy’s assassination.

SECTION 2: THE NEW FRONTIER

• Kennedy initiated his vision in a program he called “The New Frontier”

• The economy, education, medical care for the elderly and the poor, and space exploration were all part of his vision

The Promise of Progress

Kennedy’s Vision of Progress• New Frontier— policies of the Kennedyadministration• JFK faces Republican-Southern Democrat coalition• Lacks skill to get policies passed• Also lacks mandate—clear voter support for hisagenda

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Continued . . .

KENNEDY ADDRESSES INNER CITY BLIGHT AND RACISM

• In 1963, Kennedy called for “a national assault on the causes of poverty”

• He also ordered his brother, Attorney General Robert Kennedy to investigate racial injustice in the South

• Finally, he presented Congress with a sweeping civil rights bill and a sweeping tax cut bill to spur the economy

MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

• A – Why did Kennedy have difficulty achieving many of his Frontier goals?– He lacked the votes in Congress and a

popular mandate.

continued The Promise of Progress

Stimulating the Economy• By 1960, U.S. in recession; 6% unemployment• JFK administration pushes for deficit spending to stimulate

growth• Gets 20% increase for defense; money for unemployment

problems

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Addressing Poverty Abroad• Peace Corps—volunteers assist developing nations; great

success• Alliance for Progress—economic, technical assistance to

Latin America- in part meant to deter spread of communism in Latin

America

Guided Reading:

The New Frontier: Fulfilled Promises

Problems What did Kennedy believe the government could do to solve the problem?

What programs, laws, and accomplishments resulted from Kennedy’s beliefs?

Economicrecession

Beliefs: Increased spending; engaged in deficit spending; lower taxes

Results: Congress increased defense

spending, increased the minimum Wage,

extended unemployment insurance,

and provided assistance to cities with high unemployment.

THE PEACE CORPS

• One of the first programs launched by JFK was the Peace Corps

• The Peace Corps is a volunteer program to assist developing nations in Asia, Africa and Latin America

• The Peace Corps has become a huge success

MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

• B – Why did Kennedy want to invest in foreign aid?– To help developing countries and to create a

strong U.S. presence to counter communist influence.

Guided Reading:

The New Frontier: Fulfilled Promises

Problems What did Kennedy believe the government could do to solve the problem?

What programs, laws, and accomplishments resulted from Kennedy’s beliefs?

Poverty abroad

Beliefs: Offered volunteer, economic, and technical assistance to developing nations

Results: the Peace Corps; the Alliance for

Progress; some economic

progress in developing nations

continued The Promise of Progress

Race to the Moon• April 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri A. Gagarin is first man in

space• Soon after, U.S. puts man in space, uses satellite

communications• July 1969 U.S astronaut Neil Armstrong is first man to walk on

moon• University science programs grow;

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Addressing Domestic Problems• Michael Harrington’s The Other America brings attention to

poverty• 1963, JFK begins to work on poverty, racial injustice, civil

rights

RACE TO THE MOON

• On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space

• Meanwhile, America’s space agency (NASA) began construction on new launch facilities in Cape Canaveral, Florida and a mission control center in Houston, Texas

A MAN ON THE MOON

• Finally, on July 20, 1969, the U.S. would achieve its goal

• An excited nation watched as U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong took the first steps on the moon

• Space and defense-related industries sprang up in Southern and Western states

Armstrong

“One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”

MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

• C – What effect did the space program have on other areas of American life?– It improved education, particularly in science

and math, and spurred many business and industries.

Guided Reading:

The New Frontier: Fulfilled Promises

Problems What did Kennedy believe the government could do to solve the problem?

What programs, laws, and accomplishments resulted from Kennedy’s beliefs?

Soviet success in space

Beliefs: Set the goal of landing on the moon before the end of 1960s; increased spending on the space program

Results: U.S. astronauts orbited the Earth and finally landed on the moon; science programs expanded; new industries; new technological developments; the rapid growth of Southern and Western states

Tragedy in Dallas

Four Days in November• November 22, 1963, JFK shot, killed riding in motorcade in

Dallas• Jack Ruby shoots alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald• Vice president Lyndon Johnson succeeds JFK

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Unanswered Questions• Warren Commission investigates, concludes Oswald acted

alone• 1979 reinvestigation concludes Oswald part of conspiracy

TRAGEDY IN DALLAS

• On a sunny day on November 22,1963, Air Force One landed in Dallas with JFK and Jackie

• JFK received warm applause from the crowd that lined the downtown streets of Dallas as he rode in the back seat of an open-air limousine

JFK SHOT TO DEATH

• As the motorcade approached the Texas Book Depository, shots rang out

• JFK was shot in the neck and then the head

• His car was rushed to a nearby hospital where doctors frantically tried to revive him

• President Kennedy was dead (11/22/63)

The Soviets Did It• The Soviets seem like an obvious choice if

you're looking for a dark hand behind Kennedy's assassination.

• Proponents of the theory point to two pieces of evidence. First, the U.S. and the Soviet Union were engaged in a bitter cold war. Conspiracy theorists allege that Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev was so embarrassed by having to back down following the Cuban Missile Crisis he ordered the hit on Kennedy.

• The other compelling piece of evidence is Lee Harvey Oswald's connection to the USSR. Though a former marine, Oswald had twice visited the Soviet Union with his Russian-born wife Marina. Both the Warren Commission and the House Committee on Assassinations found little evidence to support a Soviet-backed operation, but one former KGB agent came out years later to say the Russians played a role in the plot.

The Mafia Did it • This much we know is true, the CIA had contacts with

organized crime families to discuss assassinating the president. Only the president was Cuba's Fidel Castro, not Kennedy.

• The mob was heavily invested in casinos and other lucrative investments in Cuba before Castro's communist revolution, according to one iteration of the theory. Kennedy botched the Bay of Pigs invasion, ending any hopes of American organized crime returning to Cuba and enraging the mafia.

• Furthermore, the mob did not like Kennedy's crusading younger brother Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and hoped the younger brother would lose his influence if his brother was killed.

• One version of the theory has the CIA, who had already contacted the mob about killing Castro, asking the mafia to carry out the Kennedy hit. In another version the mob is paid to kill Kennedy by anti-Castro Cubans.

• Many proponents of this conspiracy theory point to Jack Ruby, the Dallas nightclub owner with known mafia connections, who killed Lee Harvey Oswald two days after his arrest.

• The Warren Commission cleared the mafia from involvement in any such plot. The House Committee on Assassinations found that the mafia was not involved in a conspiracy, but did not rule out that individuals with mob ties were part of the plot.

The Cubans Did It • Given that U.S. agents tried to

assassinate Cuban President Fidel Castro numerous times, the theory goes, Castro decided he would repay the honor and try to assassinate Kennedy.

• Perhaps the most famous proponent of the Cuban theory was President Lyndon Johnson, the man who would succeed Kennedy following the assassination.

• "Kennedy was trying to get to Castro, but Castro got to him first," Johnson told ABC News in 1968.

• Both the Warren Commission and the House Committee on Assassinations cleared the Cubans of any involvement and when Castro was interviewed by Bill Moyers in 1977 he called the theory "absolute insanity."

Lyndon Johnson Did It• Who had the most to gain from killing

Kennedy? Lyndon Johnson, the man who became president.

• The gist of the theory is that Johnson was motivated by ambition and received help from members of the CIA and wealthy tycoons who believed they would profit more under a Johnson administration.

• According to one version of the theory, Johnson was aided in the plot by another man who would become president, George H.W. Bush, a burgeoning CIA official who happened to be in Dallas on the day of the assassination.

The CIA Did It

• In nearly every theory that involves American conspirators, be they wealthy industrialists or tough-as-nails mafiosi, one group is routinely represented – the CIA.

• The Central Intelligence Agency is an easy boogeyman. Its workings and agents are a secret to most Americans, and the agency in the 1960s had a reputation for high-level political assassinations.

• One theory suggests that Oswald was a CIA operative and agents tampered with his FBI file before and after the investigation to make it appear he was a communist and lone wolf.

• In its 1978 report, the House Select Committee on Assassinations found that there was no indication that Oswald "had ever had contact with the Agency."

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

• The bizarre chain of events led many to believe that Oswald was part of a conspiracy

• The Warren Commission investigated the assassination and determined that Oswald had indeed acted alone

• Recent filmmaker Oliver Stone isn’t so sure – his film, “JFK,” is filled with conspiracy theories

LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON BECOMES PRESIDENT

• The Vice-President, Lyndon Baines Johnson, became President after JFK was assassinated

• The nation mourned the death of the young president while Jackie Kennedy remained calm and poised

A somber LBJ takes the oath of office aboard Air Force One

with the Jackie next to him

MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

• D – In what direction did President Kennedy seem to be taking his administration in 1963?– Toward taking more action on domestic

problems, including poverty, and the economy.

JFK LAID TO REST• All work stopped for

Kennedy’s funeral as America mourned its fallen leader

• The assassination and the televised funeral became historic events

• Like 9-11, Americans can recall where they were when they heard the news of the President’s death

Three-year old John Kennedy Jr. salutes his father’s coffin

during the funeral

LEE HARVEY OSWALD CHARGED; SHOT TO DEATH

• A 24-year-old Marine with a suspicious past left a palm print on the rifle used to kill JFK

• He was charged and as a national television audience watched his transfer from one jail to another, nightclub owner Jack Ruby broke through the crowd and shot Oswald to death Jack Ruby, right, shoots Oswald,

center, to death 11/24/63

MAIN IDEA QUESTIONS

• E – How did the Warren Commission’s findings differ from other theories?– It declared that Oswald acted alone, while

others claimed a conspiracy.

Guided Reading:

The New Frontier: Unfulfilled promises

What reform proposals did Kennedy make that were rejected by a conservative Congress?

Medical care for the aged;rebuilding of blighted urban areas; federal aid for education

Guided Reading:

The New Frontier: Unfulfilled promises

In 1963, what proposals did Kennedy make but never had the chance to guide through Congress?

A "national assault on poverty''; an investigation of racial injustice in the South; a national civil rights bill; a tax cut