The Kennedy & Johnson Years

Big Idea: Lacking popular mandate, Kennedy’s domestic agenda to improve the economy & society failed in Congress. His death allowed Johnson to carry out much of the plan.

Unit 5 Lesson 2

Objectives:

Evaluate successes and failures of Kennedy’s “New Frontier” domestic program.

Review JFK’s blunders in foreign affairs. Analyze impact of his assassination on America in

early 1960’s. Identify the goals of Johnson’s “Great Society”

program.

Warm Up

What were the Presidential plans for the 1950s?

Truman’s “Fair Deal” Reconversion/Readjustment

Eisenhower’s “Modern Republicanism” $ Conservative/Social Liberal Limit fed power

Review

What were some of the major events from the 1950s?

Rock n Roll Desegregation Sputnik & NASA McCarthyism

Alaska & Hawaii

1960 Election

(D) John F. Kennedy (R) Richard Nixon

Televised Debates Issues? Impact?

JFK wins…no popular mandate

A New Frontier…

New opportunities in technology, science, space, and social relations.

Surrounded with young, competent advisors eager to fix America…

“Camelot”

New Frontier

Accomplishments Expand Soc Sec Raise min wage Expand public housing 24th Amend (poll tax) Space Program

Opposition Medical care for the

elderly Fed aid to education Civil Rights legislation Tax cuts (some, not all

he wanted)

Foreign Affairs – A Flexible Response Goals

Reduce risk of nuclear war

Encourage nations to align with US

Accomplishments Peace Corps Alliance for Progress LTBT

Failures Bay of Pigs Berlin Crisis (Wall) Cuban Missile Crisis

Tragedy Strikes

Nov 22, 1963 Dallas, TX Assassinated (by Lee

Harvey Oswald…who’s assassinated by Jack Ruby)

VP LBJ sworn in Warren Commission

Zapruder films Oswald & Ruby acted

alone

A Grieving Nation

What effect did JFK’s assassination have on the American Dream?

Who was LBJ?

Ambitious Focused Experienced

Kennedy’s Legacy

Pass tax-cut and civil rights bills

1964 Economic Opportunity Act VISTA, Job Corps, Head

Start

1964 Election

(D) LBJ (R) Barry Goldwater

LBJ Landslide

Great Society- End poverty and racial injustice, promote higher quality of life for all. Poverty

EOA Medicare (old) Medicaid (poor)

Environment

Consumer

Education Elem/Sec Educ Act Higher Educ Act

Discrimination Civil Rights Act 64 Voting Rights Act 65

Urban Areas Omnibus Housing Dept HUD Gun & Crime Control

Warren Court Supports Reforms

Reapportionment- Redraw election districts based on population = equal voice.

Expand Rights of Accused Mapp- exclusionary

evidence Gideon- free counsel Escobedo- counsel at ? Miranda- read rights

Limit gov’t power, equal protection under law!

Impact & Evaluation

War on Poverty? Tax Cuts?

Growing role fed govt + growing deficit = conservative backlash

Vietnam begins to overshadow

Activity:

Kennedy and Johnson Years

Closure

Would you define JFK and LBJ as successful presidents or not?