Mini Lesson Part I: Reading

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Melvyn Lucas
5 years ago
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One of the first problems Kennedy faced was Cuba. Fidel Castro controlled Cuba. Castro was a supporter of communism and a violent dictator. In 1960 Castro created an alliance with the Soviet Union.

1 Do Now : How does the idea of containing communism help the American economy? How does war affect lower class citizens in America? Mini Lesson Part I: Reading Foreign Policy Change= Failure Americans Losing Trust in Government After Kennedy won he had the huge task of following where Eisenhower left off. One of the first problems Kennedy faced was Cuba. Fidel Castro controlled Cuba. Castro was a supporter of communism and a violent dictator. In 1960 Castro created an alliance with the Soviet Union. Castro agreed to create missiles, which were directed at Florida. In 1961 Kennedy planned to assassinate Castro and take back Cuba. The plan was called the Bay of Pigs. The strong winds in Cuba delayed the attack. As a result, the Cubans and Castro were waiting for us. The attack ended in defeat. Kennedy took the blame for the disaster and never again trusted the military and the CIA. Many Latin American countries lost trust in Kennedy. The Soviet Union s leader Khrushchev thought Kennedy was not a strong leader. Turn and Talk: Critique Kennedy s decision. How did it impact the American people and the U.S. economy? In 1962 Castro decided to add more missiles from the Soviet Union on the Northern coast of Cuba. The Cuban Missile Crisis frightened Americans since Cuba is 90 miles away from Florida. JFK decides to block Soviet ships from reaching Cuba. The United States surrounds Cuba and refuses to allow them to trade with the Soviets. In the end the Soviet Union agrees not to supply missiles to Cuba and Castro destroys any missiles he obtained prior to the crisis. Kennedy knows that Communism seems attractive to many poor countries in Africa and Latin America. In 1962 he creates EQ: How do domestic reforms and gov t policies affect the economy? Riviere & Boyce, 2014

2 the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps is an organization to help promote democracy and end poverty. It was part of Kennedy s domestic policy called the New Frontier. Social Programs Lose Funding Crime Increasing + Increase/Poverty Many Americans did not share in the prosperity at the start of the 1960s. About one in every five Americans lived in poverty by the start of the decade. Forty million Americans were poor when Kennedy took office. The South had almost half of the country's poor families. Yet during the 1960s, poverty increased in northern cities, partly because of the migration of African Americans who left the South for cities like Detroit, Chicago, and Cleveland because new farm machines had taken away job opportunities. Often these new African American urban residents had to settle for low-paying employment because of job discrimination. Even though poverty was widespread, poor people got little attention during the 1960s. As a result, the government targeted the poor to fight in Asia. When the draft was imposed the government looked for people who were high school and college dropouts. Wealthy families could use their wealth so their child did not have to fight. Unemployment was 6.8% at the start of Kennedy's presidency. The Council of omic Advisers urged him to attack unemployment with New Deal style spending but the president was worried that a large deficit ($7 billion) would be politically untenable in The New Frontier had been preoccupied with foreign affairs for three years. As a result his plans for education, unemployment and the elderly were never met because spending was focused primarily on the war. Military Spending Increases Tax Money Does Too! During the Cold War, the United States spent, on average, $35 billion a year on its nuclear weapons complex. Today, it spends an estimated $55 billion. The nuclear weapons budget is spread across the Department of Defense, the Department of Energy, and the Department of Homeland Security, and the government doesn't publicly disclose how much it spends on its various aspects, from maintaining our nuclear arsenal to defending against other countries' nukes. Altogether, it spent at least $52.4 billion on nuclear weapons in 2008, the last year anyone attempted to piece together the total cost, according to the Carnegie Endowment for Peace. (And that doesn't include classified programs.) That was five times the size of the State Department's budget, seven times the EPA's, and 14 times what the DOE spent on everything else it does. Mini Lesson Part II: Discussion questions for deeper understanding Analysis 1. Critique the American government s decisions and motives to invade Cuba. How did these decisions affect the U.S. economy for the 2. You are a member of Congress during the Cold War. Propose a budget for the following year. Design an economic plan on how to allocate the federal funds. Keep in mind domestic policies i.e.; housing, food, the poor, and foreign policies (containing Communism). 2

3 Mini Lesson Part III: Synthesizing information from a primary source National Debt Focus Question: Read the chart below. What affect did the Cold War have on the American economy? 3

4 Activity 1: Hochman Quick Outline T.S. (Summary of the reading): The Bay of Pigs, a foiled plan, by president Kennedy to assassinate Castro and take back Cuba had several impacts on the American omy. Details: (Impact 1) 1: (Explanation) 2: (Impact 2) 3: (Explanation) 4: C.S. (Why reading is important): ***C.S. must start with a transition word below: In conclusion Finally In closing Therefore In summary Thus As a result Clearly Consequently Lastly *Dotted lines indicate notes only/bullet points NOT COMPLETE SENTENCES **Solid lines indicate complete sentence 4

5 Activity 2: Regents Practice Multiple Choice 1. The Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba (1961) is an example of the United States attempts to 1. eliminate unfriendly governments geographically close to the United States 2. cultivate good relations with Latin American nations 3. stop the drug trade 4. end the Cold War 2. Throughout United States history, the most important aim of the country s foreign policy has been 1. participation in international organizations 2. advancement of national self interest 3. containment of communism 4. development of military alliances 3. President John F. Kennedy supported the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba as an effort to 1. remove a communist dictator from power 2. stop the flow of illegal drugs to the United States 3. support Fidel Castro s efforts for reform 4. rescue hostages held by Cuban freedom fighters 5

6 Activity 2: Regents Practice (continued) DBQ question/map 6

7 Activity 3: Self Reflection (separate handout) and answer aim 7

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