A. Analyze the international policies & actions taken as a response to the Cold

War including US involvement in Cuba & the escalation of the war in Vietnam

as a result of the Gulf of Tonkin resolution.

B. Connect major domestic issues to their social effects including the passage

of civil rights legislation & Johnson's Great Society, following the

assassination of John F. Kennedy.

C. Describe the impact of television on American culture including the

presidential debates (Kennedy/Nixon, 1960), news coverage of the Civil Rights

Movement, the moon landing, & the war in Vietnam.

D. Investigate the growth, influence, & tactics of civil rights groups, Martin

Luther King Jr., the Letter from a Birmingham Jail, the I have a dream

Speech, and Cesar Chavez.

E. Describe the social and political turmoil of 1968 including the reactions to

assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy, the Tet

Offensive, and the presidential election of 1968.

70 million Americans tuned in to watch the first ever presidential debate

Richard Nixon was the Vice President & foreign policy expert, but a

nervous speaker. Kennedy was inexperienced but attractive.

John F. Kennedy looked a lot more confident on TV → Seeing this

confidence made voters want him to be president

Cuban Revolution:▪ In 1959 Fidel Castro

overthrew the American

supported leader of Cuba,

Batista.

▪Cuba took control of all U.S.

property in Cuba

▪ The new Cuban leader, Fidel

Castro, allied with the Soviet

Union (which the US didn’t

like).

▪ The U.S. worried that the

Soviet Union would use Cuba

as a base to spread

Communism through out the

Western Hemisphere

▪When John Kennedy became President in 1961, he followed President

Eisenhower’s secret plan to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro.

▪The attack was a disaster! News of the attack leaked AND The “Bay of Pigs”

(attack site) had coral reefs that slowed the attack. Kennedy didn’t send planes

to help the boats. Within days Cuba had captured or killed the invaders.

INVASION

Cuban Missile Crisis

Kennedy embargoed Cuba.

He told the USSR to remove their missiles, and threatened to nuke the USSR if they tried to attack from Cuba.

The Soviets ignored the warning. Americans were afraid of war.

In late October, after secretly negotiating with the Soviets, disaster was avoided.

Russia agreed to pull out of Cuba if the U.S. promised not to invade the island

▪Some of Vietnam’s people

wanted to be Communist. The

country split into North

Vietnam (Communist) and

South Vietnam (Capitalist).

▪Kennedy sent money and

troops to help South Vietnam.

By 1963, the U.S. had over

16,000 “advisers” (troops) in

South Vietnam.

Vietnam War (1955-1975)

November 1963:

Kennedy was Assassinated in

Dallas, Texas▪ Kennedy was viewed as progressive

towards the civil rights movement.

▪When Kennedy was assassinated, Vice-

President Lyndon Johnson, from Texas was

sworn in as President.

▪ Politically, Johnson was very different than

Kennedy: He spent years in Congress, and

knew how to get things done.

▪August 1964: President Lyndon

Johnson announced that North

Vietnamese ships attacked 2 US ships.

This turned out to be untrue. Johnson

asked permission from Congress to

attack: Congress approved the “Gulf

of Tonkin Resolution”

▪March 1965: 180,000+ US troops

launch Operation Rolling Thunder

(intense bombing of North Vietnam)

▪ January 1968: North Vietnam launched

a surprise attack (Tet Offensive)

during the Vietnamese New Year. They

attacked nearly every U.S. airbase and

most major cities in the South.

Vietnam War (1955-1975)

▪ Though the attack was a failure, the Tet

Offensive was a turning point in the war

because most Americans came to

believe that the U.S. could not win the

war

▪Many college anti-war groups wanted

the govt. to end the selective service

(draft) & bring US troops home. They

used sit-ins, marches, & demonstrations.

Later some protesters became more

radical. The federal government

stopped a protest at Kent State, which

led to the deaths of 4 college students.

▪ President Johnson’s approval rating

dropped dramatically and eventually

led Johnson not to seek reelection

Vietnam War (1955-1975)

SCLCSouthern

Christian

Leadership

Conference

SNCCStudent

Nonviolent

Coordinating

Committee

StartStarted in 1957 by MLK, Jr., and other

ministers and Civil Rights leaders

African American college students with

SCLC’s help

GoalNonviolent crusades against

segregation

To speed up changes from Brown v. Board of

Education

Tactics

Marches & protests in South, using

churches as bases. Registering

African Americans to vote

Sit-ins- at segregated restaurants &

registering African-Americans to vote.

Freedom Rides

Who was

in it?White & African-American adults.

Originally, African American & white

college students. Later, they became black-

only.

Ideas

Inspired by Jesus, Gandhi, Henry

David Thoreau, & A. Philip Randolph.

Always Supported Nonviolence.

Originally, Nonviolence. Later, they pushed

for Militancy and violence; “Black Power”

and African-American pride

▪1963: Martin Luther King, Jr. protesting segregation in Birmingham. SCLC leaders asked children to participate because they hoped police wouldn’t use fire hoses and releasing dogs on children. They were wrong.

▪King was arrested because he wasn’t allowed to get a permit to march. He wrote “Letters from a Birmingham Jail” and argued that individuals had the moral right and responsibility to disobey unjust laws.

▪Kennedy read it & began to support the Civil Rights movement. National reaction to the Birmingham violence built support for the struggle for black civil rights.

Civil Rights

“I Have A Dream”▪1963: 250,000+ people (black &

white)gathered near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to rally for "jobs and freedom."

▪Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. had originally prepared a short speech. He was about to sit down when a gospel singer called out, "Tell them about your dream, Martin! Tell them about the dream!“

▪ In his speech, King asked for peace and racial harmony.

▪The Civil Rights Movement was on TV, which encouraged more people to join.

Civil Rights

▪ Johnson promises to continue AND go

farther than JFK’s policies. He started the

“War on Poverty,” which lowered taxes and

gave free job training and childcare.

▪ Johnson also started the “Great Society,”

which passed the Civil Rights Act (1964) &

the Voting Rights Act (1965), created

Medicare & Medicaid, allowed Asians to

immigrate to the US again, made highways

safer, and protected the Wilderness from

pollution & over-hunting.

▪ The Voting Rights Act eliminated state laws

that had prevented African Americans from

voting, like literacy test & poll taxes

Civil

Rights

Cesar Chavez:

▪Latinos also protest to gain civil rights in the 1960s.Their leader was César Chávez, a Mexican-American, from California.

▪Chávez believed in nonviolent methods to achieve his goals. He started a nationwide boycott of California grapes, forcing growers to negotiate a contract with the United Farm Workers in 1970.

▪This contract gave workers higher wages and other benefits .

Civil Rights

• On April 4th, King was

assassinated. This started riots

across the country.

• JFK’s brother, Robert, decided to

run for president. He was a very

liberal Democrat.

• On June 6th, Robert Kennedy was

assassinated.

• 4,000 Americans who liked King

& Kennedy & hated the Vietnam war

tried to march to the Democratic

National Convention site but were

attacked and beaten by the National

Guard & Riot police ON TV.

• With the Democrats falling apart,

Republican Richard Nixon won the

election. He promised to get

“Peace with Honor” in Vietnam, but

he wanted to pull back on Civil

Rights.

The Moon Landing:

▪Kennedy challenged NASA to

put a man on the moon

▪July 20, 1969: Apollo 11 was the

first manned mission to the

moon. The Mission commander

was Neil Armstrong and the

Pilot was Buzz Aldrin. They left

behind an American flag.

▪The Landing was watched all

around the world: The USSR

may have started the Space

Race with Sputnik, but America

won with the Moon Landing.