ELECTION OF 1960

ELECTION FIRSTS!• All 50 states vote• First live TV debates• First Roman Catholic elected president• Youngest ever elected

JFK vs. Nixon • JFK (Democrat)• A very young candidate.• Came from a very rich family.• Believed communism was America’s worst

enemy.• Good television speaker and due to his good

looks many believed he would win the election.• Lyndon B. Johnson running as Vice President

• Dilemma for Johnson- Senate Majority Leader (very powerful). Power of VP?

• Nixon (Republican)• Nixon was a young candidate.• He came from a poor family.• Believed communism was America’s worst

enemy.• Nixon was a very good radio debater, but

people who watched the debates on T.V. thought Kennedy won because he was attractive.

ADVANTAGES• JFK

1. Charisma / personality / youth

2. Family wealth / name in politics

3. War hero / Pulitzer prize

• Nixon1. Vice President / Ike Year’s

2. Middle class / Business workers

3. Great political experience - HUAC

DISADVANTAGES• JFK

1. Youth / inexperience (Senate record)

2. Religion

• Nixon1. Reputation as a dirty fighter

2. Eisenhower comments- “unenthusiastic”

TV DEBATES / CAMPAIGN• September 1960

• Schedule – 4 one hour debates• First debate is most important – why?• JFK – big winner on TV – reasons?• Nixon come back – polls close in October & November

• http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1960 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbrcRKqLSRw

ELECTION OF 1960 - RESULTS

1. JFK / LBJ win a narrow victory (fewer than 119,00 popular votes out of 69 million)

2. Illinois problem state – accusations of fraud

3. JFK enters office without a “Mandate” or public endorsement of his proposals

Kennedy’s New Frontier • This was an extension of FDR’s New Deal and Truman’s

Fair Deal.• Kennedy will quickly be at odds with business leaders in

the United States, especially in steel.

New Frontier• Largely economic and social

• He tried fighting poverty in the South and in big cities.• Raised minimum wage• Kennedy went to work on funding public schools by

passing new bills.• He supported the Area Development Act which

encouraged businesses to move into economically depressed areas.

• The Housing Act asked for $5 billion for urban renewal

Kennedy and Steel• Kennedy told steel companies to hold down prices to

allow economic growth, but they didn’t listen.• He threatened them by saying the US would buy foreign

steel and sent the Justice Department to investigate their business practices.

NASA• One of Kennedy’s biggest

accomplishments was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

• Part of this reason was to compete with the Soviets in the Cold War.

• The Decision to Go to the Moon• President John F. Kennedy's May 25, 1961

Speech before a Joint Session of Congress• Get to the moon by the end of the decade-

succeeded

Kennedy At Odds• Kennedy was frequently at odds with the

legislative branch.• Southern senators and representatives

blocked many of the measures that he tried to pass partly because he was for civil rights.

• Caused a lot of controversy during his presidency

Kennedy’s Death• When Kennedy went to Dallas to try

and stir up support for his programs, he was assassinated on November 22, 1963.

• When he was killed, it seemed as if time stopped in this country.

• This also affected people around the globe specifically allies that Kennedy had made in many third world countries.

• Warren Commission analyzed his death

• Conspiracies galore!• https://

www.youtube.com/watch?v=yznRGS9f-jI

Themes of the Presidency

• Big Government• Involvement

• Role of Media• Camelot

• Fighting Poverty• Policies for poor Americans

• Maintaining Peace• Cold War

• Advancement• New Frontier