Download Kennedy and New Frontier Notes

The New Frontier:
The Kennedy Administration
1960 Presidential Election:
Candidates:
Richard M. Nixon (R) and John F. Kennedy (D)
Importance of Televised Debates: Kennedy seemed to be more likeable, easy-going and
relaxed as opposed to Nixon seeming to be more formal and stiff in his manners.
Kennedy
seemed to be more “electable.”
Major Issues Discussed:
 Both candidates focused on the economy and the Cold War (both claimed to be “Cold
Warriors”).
Kennedy focused his campaign agenda on the threat of possible Soviet
attack on the United States from anywhere (including Cuba) and the problem with the
“missile gap”.
Nixon wanted to keep the current polices set forth by Eisenhower in
place and warned the Democrats would spend the U.S. into high inflation.
 Religion: Kennedy was Catholic (never had a Catholic President) and that bothered
many Americans; Kennedy vowed the Catholic Church would have no influence on his
decision-making as President.
Outcome of the Election:
Kennedy wins popular vote by 119,000 and electoral vote 303-219.
New Frontier Domestic and Economic Policies:
Goals of the New Frontier Programs: Increase aid to education, provide health insurance to
the elderly, create a Department of Urban Affairs, and help migrant workers.
Economic Policies of the New Frontier:
 In an effort to increase economic growth and create jobs, Kennedy adopted one of
FDR’s economic strategies of the New Deal – deficit spending.
 Increased funds for defense and space exploration, and increase business production by
asking businesses to hold down prices and requesting labor leaders to hold down pay
increases.
 Adopt supply-side economics (supply produced by businesses affects economic growth)
and cut taxes; tax cuts denied by Congress.
Domestic Policies of the New Frontier:
Warren Court Decisions = Judicial Activism
 Civil Rights: Issues of apportionment (drawing lines for voting districts); Baker v. Carr
stated the federal courts could hear lawsuits seeking to force state authorities to
redraw electoral districts.
Reynolds v. Sims stated state legislature districts should be
equal in population (“one man, one vote”).
 Due Process: Incorporation; apply the Fourteenth Amendment to the States (due
process of law); the law may not treat individuals unfairly, arbitrarily, or unreasonably,
and courts must follow proper procedures in trying cases.
Refer to Chart on Page 844 for additional Court Rulings and their impacts.
Kennedy’s Cold War Policies:
“Flexible Response”:
Kennedy felt Eisenhower had relied too heavily on the build-up of our
nuclear capabilities, which limits the United States in means of war power.
Instead, he
proposed a “flexible response” that would involve the build-up of conventional weapons and
forces; supported more funding for Special Forces units (Green Berets).
Alliance for Progress: Latin American societies were not good; very corrupt (some Latin
American countries were in state of civil war where citizens were trying to overthrow
government).
United States did not want Latin American countries to fall to Communism.
Alliance for Progress would create a “free and prosperous Latin America” ultimately putting
$20 billion towards schools, health care, housing, and fair land distribution.
Peace Corps: organization that was to send young Americans to perform humanitarian
services in foreign countries.
Volunteers were required to spend two years in nations
requesting assistance from the United States; still active today.
Space Race: Soviets had launched first satellite into space (Sputnik).
United States
countered by sending the space program to work on its first orbiting satellite.
Dr. Wernher
von Braun (Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville) went to work on developing Explorer 1.
Two
years after Explorer 1 launched, NASA opened the George Marshall Space Flight Center in
Huntsville, where the development of rocket engines including the Saturn V rocket that sent
first Americans to the moon.
Berlin Wall:
Khrushchev and Kennedy met in Vienna, Austria
Soviet leader demanded the western democracies recognize East Germany and United States, Great Britain, and
France must withdraw from Berlin (which was actually in East Germany).
When Kennedy refused to both demands, Khrushchev ordered the building of a wall through the middle of Berlin to
prevent people from fleeing out of East Germany.
Bay of Pigs:
Fidel Castro helped Communist guerillas in Cuba overthrow the Nationalist government, where they established a
Communist satellite state of the Soviet Union. Cuban alliance with the Soviets created great tension among people
in the United States, fearing a possible spread of Communism throughout the Western Hemisphere.
President Eisenhower had ordered the CIA to train Cuban exiles to invade the island and force a popular uprising
against Castro. After elected, Kennedy agreed to the operation with some minor changes.
17 April 1961 – 1,400 armed Cuban exiles launched their attack on the Bay of Pigs on the southern coast of Cuba.
Invasion took a bad turn when the landing crafts ran aground on coral reefs. Kennedy canceled the air support
promised by the United States in order to keep the American involvement a secret.
Within two days, Castro’s forces captured or killed all guerilla fighters. American involvement was eventually
exposed, which made the United States look weak and disorganized.
Cuban Missile Crisis:
22 October 1962 – President Kennedy addresses the nation that American spy planes had captured images of
medium and long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in Cuba. It was clear these missiles came from
the Soviet Union, which poses a greater threat due to their close proximity to the United States (about 90 miles).
Kennedy orders a blockade of Cuba to prevent more missiles from coming in; in addition, the President demanded
the Soviets dismantle the missiles and warned that any launch against the United States would be met with full
retaliation.
Soviets promised to remove the missiles if the United States promised not to invade Cuba and remove its missiles
from Turkey.
The Cuban Missile Crisis forced the United States and the Soviet Union to contemplate the various scenarios of
what war would be like. In August of 1963, the United States and the Soviet Union signed a treaty to ban the
testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere – the first stage of mutual arms reduction.
In the long run, the Cuban Missile Crisis had severe consequences. The retreat the U.S. forced upon the Soviets
caused Khrushchev to fall from power. The replacements of the Soviet leader were not as likely to work with the
west due to the enormous pressures placed on them by the Communist party. The Soviets also realized how
inferior their military was to the United States, which launched a massive campaign to strengthen the Soviet military.