Download President Kennedy: The Television Debates

The Election, Civil Rights,
Dealing with the South
and the Economy
Early Campaigning

 Although Kennedy won a solid victory in the Democratic
primary his youth, a seeming lack of experience in foreign
affairs, and his Catholic faith made him unlikely to win.
 Nixon struck many voters as more mature and experienced
than Kennedy and led in the polls after the national
conventions.
 Kennedy then challenged the vice president to a series of
televised debates, as his party hoped his charisma would be
able to win over voters. In 1950, only 11 percent of American
homes had television; by 1960, the number had jumped to 88
percent
 Even though President Eisenhower urged him to reject the
debate proposal and deny Kennedy invaluable national
exposure Nixon agreed to a debate on nationwide television.
The Debate

 How do the nominees present themselves
differently?
 Who do you think won the debate?
 Extension : How is this debate different from the
2016 versions
Aftermath of the debate

 Most Americans watching the debates felt that
Kennedy had won. Almost overnight the issues of
experience and maturity seemed to fade from the
campaign.
 Studies would later show that of the four million
voters who made up their minds as a result of the
debates, three million voted for Kennedy.
 Nixon seemed much more poised and relaxed in the
three subsequent debates, but it was the first
encounter that reshaped the election.
The African-American Vote

 On October 19, Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested
in Atlanta for leading a civil rights protest.
 Although supporting King might have cost Kennedy
votes in the South, he called his wife on October 26
to offer help in securing his safe release. Kennedy
was subsequently endorsed by Martin Luther King
Sr., father of the civil rights leader.
 The African-American vote went heavily for
Kennedy across the nation, providing the winning
margin in several states.
Civil Rights Policies

 •
He began by continuing with Eisenhower’s policy of
appointing more African-Americans senior positions.
 •
He established the Commission of Equal Opportunities
Employment to ensure the fair treatment of all federal
employees.
 •
Segregation was banned in federal housing.
 •
Poll tax was abolished as a qualification for voting in
federal election, because only those who earned more than a
certain amount of money had to pay poll tax therefore as many
African-Americans didn’t have that that level of income.
Therefore many were illegible to vote.
 •
After the poll tax was abolished five southern states still
insisted on a minimum amount of income tax to qualify for
voting rights.
Problems in the South

 •
During the Freedom rides civil rights activists tested the transport
desegregation laws but in the segregated South they were met with abuse
and violent assault and local authorities did little to prevent this. Little
action was taken against the state authorities.
 •
These continued the next year when the police chief in Birmingham,
Alabama, when the police chief, ‘Bull’ Connor launched violent attacks
against African-American protesters. Then in 1963 the governor of
Alabama, George Wallace tried to prevent two African-American students
from entering Alabama University. In response to this Kennedy
federalized the Alabama National Guard. By the middle of 1963 the South
was filled protest and violence
 •
Membership of the Ku Klux Klan was reported to have reached
50,000 and local governments in the South were ignoring federal
authority.
Recession recovery

 Heavy deficit spending was needed to recover from 1961
recession.
 Kennedy directed all Federal agencies to accelerate their
procurement and construction. He released over a billion
dollars in state highway aid funds ahead of schedule,
raised farm price supports and advanced their payment,
speeded up the distribution of tax refunds and GI life
insurance dividends.
 He created a "pilot" Food Stamp program for the needy
and expanded US Employment Offices.
 He persuaded the Federal Reserve Board to help keep
long-term interest rates low through the purchase of longterm bonds.
Economic expansion

 During the four years following John Kennedy's
inauguration, the US experienced the longest and
strongest economic expansion in this nation's modern
history
 GDP increased more in 4 years than it had in the previous
8. By 1964, a record $100 billion, 16% growth in the
nation's total output had provided more than 2.75 million
more jobs and a record rise in labour income.
 The amount of idle manufacturing capacity had been
reduced by half, and for the first time, the 70-million-job
barrier had been shattered
Economic Comparison

 Truman - Democrat, extends social security, raise
minimum wage, high inflation, continues New Deal
 Kennedy - Democrat, believed in deficit spending to
increase economic growth, deficit spending reduces
inflation, increase in economic growth, increases defence
spending
 Eisenhower - Republican, constructive conservatism,
believes in trying to cut spending (such as defence
spending - causing a recession), extends social security,
high inflation, Continues New Deal, reduces taxes, high
growth in GDP