While Cuban Missile Crisis Took up a Lot of Kennedy S Time, Domestic Problems Were on the Rise

Lecture # 11 Kennedy & Johnson

 While Cuban Missile Crisis took up a lot of Kennedy’s time, domestic problems were on the rise  The Other America, book by Michael Harrington that exposed the level of poverty in America – people were shocked  Kennedy failed to get a lot of his New Frontier programs passed, but he did: o Increase in minimum wage o Improvements in welfare system o Established “President’s Commission on the Status of Women” (headed by Eleanor Roosevelt) o Equal Pay Act – required equal wages for “equal work” in certain industries (again more of a starting point; too many loopholes)  Kennedy proposed tax credits and increased military spending to create new jobs and boost the economy  1957 – Soviets launched Sputnik I satellite  1958 – Congress created National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)  Space Race had begun  Space Race – term used to describe the competition between the SU and US to develop technology to successfully land on the moon.  1961 – Yuri Gagarin became 1st human to orbit Earth (Soviet)  1961 – Kennedy committed the US to landing a man on the moon by 1970

Assassination  During those 2 ½ years in office, Kennedy had gone from a political to national leader.  Won respect of both Soviets and Americans with tough choices  Spoke eloquently about peace  Came to the conclusion that it had to be the federal government that spearheaded the end to civil rights struggles  Unique ability to inspire Americans to dream noble dreams and work toward lofty ends  November 22, 1963 – Kennedy was in Dallas, Texas, to campaign for 64’ election  While in car in parade, Lee Harvey Oswald sat perched in a 6th floor window of a building  Fired 3 shots at Kennedy; 3rd shot hit him in the back of the head  30 minutes later, Kennedy was pronounced dead  Johnson took over  Warren Commission – panel organized to conduct the official investigation of the assassination; their conclusion was that Oswald acted alone  Still debated today whether it was a conspiracy or an isolated act by one man  Lots of information to support both views  Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in  America’s innocence and positive outlook seemed to die with him. Johnson’s Great Society  Johnson was a teacher from Texas and he taught at a little segregated school for Mexican Americans  Got into politics in 1937 – he was a big time powerful politician for years (Senate Majority Leader)  Johnson was good at avoiding conflict, building coalitions, and working out compromises  Johnson had been an important part to Kennedy’s ticket (Protestant South)

“…No memorial oration or eulogy could more eloquently honor President Kennedy’s memory than the earliest possible passage of the Civil Rights Bill for which he fought so long.”

 Johnson declares a War on Poverty  Johnson attempted to fuse Kennedy’s legislative agenda with his own dreams and visions  War on Poverty had three measures: o Train the jobless o Educate the uneducated o Provide healthcare for those in need  1964 Economic Opportunity Act was passed: o Created Job Corps – program to train young people ages 16-21 in the work skills they needed to acquire better jobs and move out of poverty o Created VISTA – Volunteers in Service to America (domestic version of Peace Corps) – US volunteers went to poverty pockets in US to try and solve economic, educational, and medical problems o Created Head Start – program designed to provide funds for play groups, day care, and activities designed to help underprivileged children get ready for school (to get a head start)

1964 Election – Johnson vs. Goldwater  Republican: Barry Goldwater o Social and economic issues, like racism and poverty, should not be addressed by the federal government  Democrat: Lyndon Johnson o Needed another four years to make his dreams and visions a reality

 Johnson won with 60% popular vote, and all but six states electoral vote wise.

“The challenge of the next half century is whether we have the wisdom to use that wealth to enrich and elevate our national life, and to advance the quality of our American civilization…We have the opportunity to move not only toward the rich society and the powerful society, but upward to the Great Society.”  Johnson’s Great Society demanded an end to poverty and racial injustices, and opportunity for every child. o Healthcare – Medicare & Medicaid . Medicare – basic hospital insurance for Americans age 65+ who received Social Security . Medicaid – medical services for the poor and disabled Americans who were not part of Social Security . These health care bills were signed into law in Independence, Missouri o Education – 1965 Elementary and Secondary Education Act – federal funds to improve libraries, learning centers, and language labs in impoverished school districts o Environment – Water Quality Act, Clean Water Restoration Act, & National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act o Immigration . Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 – altered America’s quota system – allowed more Eastern Hemisphere immigrants (as opposed to laws form 1920s)

Legacy of Great Society  From a goals standpoint, it was a failure.  The goal of making sure racism and poverty were stamped out and that every child had the opportunity for a good education did not happen.  But programs were created and life was improved for many, so it was successful, just not 100% successful.