The Stormy Sixties Chapter 38
Kennedy Nixon Debates John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon had first presidential debate on TV
Kennedy s New Frontier Spirit JFK elected by small margin over Nixon in 1960 Youngest elected president and assembled young cabinet Robert Kennedy appointed as Attorney General who conflicted with J Edgar Hoover over priorities for FBI JFK inspired idealism and service ask not what your country can do for you: ask what you can do for your country. Developed Peace Corps to help poor in other nations New frontier programs for medical assistance for elderly and money for education held up by pair of Republicans and Southern Democrats JFK backed down big steel to prevent inflation; but also cut taxes to stimulate the economy Supported space program and to put a man on the moon
Rumblings in Europe Soviets disarmed and prevented East Germans from rebuilding but Allies encouraged development of West German industry Berlin Airlift 1948 USSR close off Berlin in hopes of forcing Allies out Allies send in airlift to Berlin to bring in supplies 1949 Stalin backs down and allows allied forces into Berlin Berlin Wall 1961 Soviet premier Khruschev built wall in East Germany to stop migration Symbol of Cold War Propaganda victory for west Common Market JFK supported free trade area established in Common Market (evolves into EU) with Trade Expansion Act in 1962
French Indochina (Vietnam) Eisenhower s Secretary of State Allen Dulles foreign policy doctrine called for massive retaliation; JFK under Robert McNamara shifted to flexible response to give military more options Battle against French (1946-1954) Ho Chi Minh led peasant army French lose at Dien Bien Phu French lose Indochina Geneva Accords (1954) divided Vietnam between communist North led by Ho Chi Minh and non-communist south, supported by west led by Ngo Dinh Diem Vietcong south Vietnamese communist guerillas South Vietnamese government troops ineffective at fighting Domino Theory US fear one nation goes communist, others would follow US doesn t allow 1956 election because US fears communists will win
American Involvement (1959-1975) 1961 JFK increased troop involvement; 1963 supported a coup of Diem Gulf of Tonkin (1964) North Vietnamese attack USS Maddox in Gulf of Tonkin Gulf of Tonkin Resolution allowed LBJ sent more troops to Vietnam and into any Asian country without Congressional approval Attack was never proven US sends increasing numbers of soldiers Aerial bombardment Operation Rolling Thunder attempted (1965) Increasing deaths of American soldiers and reports of atrocities (My Lai) erodes US support for war Tet Offensive Jan 30 1968 surprise attack all over South Vietnam by Vietcong Military loss for Vietcong, political victory Americans didn t believe military statements following offensive March 31, 1968 LBJ announced a freeze in troop levels and reduction in bombing
Debate over War 1967 growing peace movement people oppose war Use marches, songs, sit ins, teach ins, fled to Canada Opposition to Draft Many avoided draft Burned cards, move to Canada Opposed mission of war Protests about Vietnam intensified Kent State National Guard shoot protestors at an anti war rally Johnson authorized CIA and FBI to spy on domestic opponents of war (1967) Supporters of War believed communism must be stopped innocents were killed because of guerilla tactics US never put full force of military in war
Cuban Confrontations 1959 Fidel Castro led a communist revolution in Cuba Castro encouraged communism in other Latin American countries Alliance for Progress was developed to close gap between rich and poor in effort to undermine communism in Latin America 1961 Bay of Pigs Kennedy supported failed invasion of Cuba and assassination attempts on Castro Cuban Missile Crisis 1962 Khrushchev put nuclear missiles in Cuba In response to American nukes in Turkey and Greece US identified missiles with U2 spy planes JFK orders naval quarantine until Soviets removed missiles US and Soviets went to brink of nuclear war Khrushchev backs down and forced out of power Accelerated the arms race Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (1963) Signed to try to ease tensions between US and USSR JFK gave speech at American Univ that laid foundation for detente
JFK Assassination and LBJ November 22, 1963 killed by Lee Harvey Oswald Oswald was then killed by Jack Ruby Warren Commission was created to investigate conspiracy possibilities LBJ was sworn in as President Was able to pass many JFK ideas fallen President Civil Rights Bill of 1964 Banned racial discrimination in private facilities open to public Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) made to eliminate discrimination in job hiring LBJ established affirmative action via executive order in 1965 LBJ s Great Society was a series of programs to change American society Education; Civil rights; Environment War on poverty Welfare and Food stamps Support for program increased after Michael Harrington s The Other America (1962) Medicare and Medicaid
Election of 1964 LBJ (Democrats); Barry Goldwater (Republicans) Goldwater was a conservative Attacked establishment politics Wanted to present clear choice to LBJ by opposing income tax, social security, civil rights, TVA Democrats portrayed Goldwater as violent and unstable Daisy Ad ran spots showing girl picking daisies then a nuclear cloud killed her. Said US would have WWIII if Goldwater elected LBJ wins easily LBJ s Great Society Congress Office of Economic Opportunity given money to support Appalachia Department of Transportation; Department of Housing and Urban Development; National Endowment for Arts and Humanities were created Big Four legislative achievements: Education aid would be tied to students not schools; allows for aid to religious schools Health Insurance given to elderly (Medicare) and poor (Medical) Immigration and Nationality Act made it easier to immigrate to US Conservatives argued against programs as improper social engineering and money was wasted
Black Rights Civil Rights Act of 1964 increased school desegregation and prohibited public facilities discrimination Voting in South Mississippi only 5% of eligible blacks were registered to vote because of poll taxes, literacy tests and intimidation 24 th amendment banned poll tax Freedom Summer 1964 voter registration drive had northerners go down south to help blacks register Mississippi Burning James Chaney, Andrew Goodman, and Michael Schwerner were murdered by KKK for registering blacks Voting Rights Act of 1965 Passed in response to violence of South Gave blacks power of vote that led gradually to integration Black rights movement shifted towards integrating blacks into American society; not just in the South
Black Power Black Rights Movement gets increasingly violent; Watts Riots (1965) Malcolm X followed Nation of Islam led by Elijiah Muhammed and supported black separatism Black Panthers used weapons; SNCC led by Stokely Carmichael preached Black power to smash western civilization Put emphasis on African and black communities and culture and rejection of white Some believed in back to Africa movement Shifted focus from voting to economic; unemployment and opportunity Riots in 1967 Newark, Detroit, Los Angeles; neighborhoods burned and police were attacked Created white conservative backlash against Black Power movement Martin Luther King assassinated in 1968; weakened moderate civil rights movement