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1960s
1960 Election
• Democrat – John F. Kennedy
– Had been a Senator
• Republican – Richard Nixon
– Had been the Vice-President for Eisenhower
(made him the favorite in the eyes of the voters)
1960 Election
• The campaign came down to a TV debate
– Nixon appeared to be tired
– Kennedy appeared healthy and confident
• Radio audience thought Nixon won
• TV audience favored Kennedy
• Kennedy wins the election
– TV played a huge role in deciding the outcome
JFK and the Cold War
• JFK differed from Eisenhower’s massive
retaliation
– Wanted to make sure the US was prepared to fight
any type of war
– Increased funding to all branches of the military
Bay of Pigs
• In 1959, Fidel Castro led an uprising that
succeeded in overthrowing the Cuban
government
• Castro quickly established a communist-style
dictatorship with ties to the Soviet Union
– Huge problem because Cuba is 90 miles south of the
US
• In October of 1960, Eisenhower placed an
embargo (no trade) on Cuba
– Still on going but the U.S. started talks in December of
2014
Bay of Pigs
• The CIA was financing and training a group of
anti-Castro Cuban refugees who were to
invade Cuba while Eisenhower was in office
• JFK gave the approval for the plan to proceed
• The invasion was a disaster
– Took place at Cuba’s Bay of Pigs, 1500 rebels were
quickly put down and the U.S. never sent the air
strikes that were planned
Cuban Missile Crisis
• Khrushchev continued to test the U.S.
commitment to containment
• To protect Cuba from other invasions, Castro
asked the Soviet Union to provide him with
defensive weapons
• The Soviets agreed and also offered offensive
weapons
– Missiles that could reach the cities of the eastern
U.S.
Cuban Missile Crisis
• After spy plane photos showed the launching
pads for the missiles, JFK announced on
national television that any armed ships
bound for Cuba would be forcibly turned back
by the U.S. navy
– He also demanded that the Soviets remove the
missiles
Cuban Missile Crisis
• For 13 days nuclear war loomed
• On October 24, 1962, Soviet ships going to
Cuba stopped before reaching the U.S.
blockade and turned to sail home
Cuban Missile Crisis
• Khrushchev agreed to dismantle the missile
bases
• JFK agreed to remove U.S. missiles in other
countries
• Both leaders now sought to ease the tension
between their nations and created a “hot line”
telephone system between the 2 nations
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5ZzL9Ks
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Berlin Wall
• In August of 1961, the government of the
GDR, or East Germany, began to build a
barbed wire and concrete wall between East
and West Berlin
• The official purpose of the Berlin Wall was to
keep western “fascists” from entering East
Germany and undermining the socialist state
– In reality, it was built to stop mass defections from
East to West
Berlin Wall
• The Berlin Wall still is the most powerful and
enduring symbol of the Cold War
• JFK was the 1st President to visit the Berlin
Wall
– “Ich bin ein Berliner”
• He tried to say “I am a Berliner”
– https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK907TwM7
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JFK’s “New Frontier”
• JFK promised his administration would blaze a
“New Frontier”
• “New Frontier” described goals to improve
– Economy
– Healthcare
– Civil Rights
– Space program
Equal Pay Act
• Required equal wages for “equal work” in
industries engaged in commerce
• While very weak, it was a crucial step in road
to fair an equal employment practices
JFK and the Economy
• Much like FDR, JFK followed John Maynard
Keyes and advocated deficit spending
– Government borrowing money in order to spend
more than is received from taxes
Space Race
• On April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri
Gagarin became the 1st human to circle the
Earth
• In early May 1961, Alan Shepard became the
1st American in space
– Part of Project Mercury
Space Race
• President John F. Kennedy challenged the U.S.
to put a man on the moon by the end of the
1960s and return him to Earth safely
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RaRC6Y
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Space Race
• On July 20, 1969, Apollo 11 became the 1st
manned space craft to land on the moon
• Americans Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin
became the 1st people to walk on the moon
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3vVjyqk
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