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Kennedy’s first goal was to build up the US armed forces
Kennedy and Khrushchev met in Berlin in 1961
Kennedy pledged $3 billion increase in defense spending
On August 13, construction of the Berlin Wall began
Khrushchev pledged to support “wars of national liberation” in Asia
More a threat to rival power China
Kennedy and the US saw it as a challenge to the US
Kennedy stated a policy of nation building to assist “third world” countries
Promises of financial and technical assistance
Use of Peace Corps, Alliance for Progress and counterinsurgency
US backing of Diem (1956) in South Vietnam leads to conflict
Kennedy sends “advisors” –16,000 by 1963 to help Diem
Diem could not gain the support of his own people
Buddhist monks set themselves on fire to protest
Diem’s generals plotted to overthrow him
US approved a 1963 coup that led to Diem’s death
Eisenhower had a plan to foment rebellion and overthrow Castro
Kennedy proceeded with the plan with a minor adjustment
1400 Cuban exiles “stormed” the beach on April 17, 1960
Kennedy called off air support strikes
900 were killed, the rest captured in 2 days
USSR was planning to protect Cuba from a US invasion
JFK warned against any offensive weapons
USSR added medium and intermediate range missiles
U-2 spy planes detected these nearly completed sites on Oct 14, 1962
JFK made a TV address on October 22 informing the US public
Said these missiles threatened world peace
Threatened full-scale retaliation if they were not removed
USSR sent 16 ships toward Cuba
Khrushchev accused JFK of threatening a “world nuclear-missile war”
After many public threats and private telegrams and meetings, the crisis was averted
US secretly agreed to remove missiles from Turkey in exchange for Soviets removal of Cuban missiles
Allowed JFK to save face and appear strong and heroic
The “New Frontier” stalled in Congress because of a conservative coalition
Social programs took a backseat to economic and political issues
Kennedy forced US Steel to lower prices and stocks fell
A massive tax cut led to a decade of sustained economic growth
Personal wealth and income increased 13%, corporate profits 67%
JFK labeled civil rights a moral issue and promised action on June 11 In a nationally televised speech
Voting rights and other legislation quickly followed
The administration asked activist to end demonstrations
MLK gives the “I Have a Dream” speech at the March on Washington
More than 200,000 attended
A 100-year commemoration of the Emancipation Proclamation
JFK provided only the beginnings of presidential leadership on civil rights
JFK assassinated on Nov 22, 1963 by Lee Harvey Oswald, who was then killed by Jack Ruby. LBJ took over, and Camelot and
“The New Frontier” were gone.
A 30 year veteran of Congress, LBJ knew how to get a bill thorough Congress
LBJ got another tax cut out of committee and passed (1964)
July 2, 1964—The Civil Rights Act was signed into law
LBJ allowed NO compromises
Established a permanent EEOC
Protected voting rights of African Americans
LBJ declared “War on Poverty” during the 1964 campaign
Set up the Office of Economic Opportunity
Head Start for pre-schoolers
Job Corps for high school drop outs
LBJ insisted on the passage of Medicare and Medicaid
Also provided over $1 billion in new money for schools
LBJ called for action after brutal mistreatment of marchers in Selma by Sheriff James Clark
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 resulted
Improvements were obvious by 1970
The Maddox was attacked in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4, 1964
The result was the Tonkin Gulf Resolution
Allowed the president to take all necessary defensive measures
Without further Congressional approval
In the N, we bombed the Ho Chi Minh Trail
In the S, we increased ground forces to over 500,000 by 1968
1968 brought the My Lai Massacre and the Tet Offensive
Peaceful means were abandoned by younger activists
The Black Panther Movement used guns and intimidation
MLK, JR. denounced the war and lost political support
Pushed for a greater war on poverty
Assassinated in Memphis in 1968
Hundreds of riots followed his assassination
Black pride and community programs were enhanced in this decade
Women began to use the Civil Rights laws to fight sex discrimination
NOW was formed and The Equal Rights Amendment resurfaced
Nixon promises to end the war and win the peace
He also promises to restore law and order within the US
Democrat George Wallace runs on a platform of segregation
“Segregation now…segregation tomorrow…segregation forever”
As the Democrats divide, Nixon wins a narrow victory
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