Chapter 20 Section 2 Notes

Chapter 20 Section 2

Objective(s):
1) Summarize the New Frontier domestic and foreign agendas.

2) Describe the tragic chain of events surrounding Kennedy’s
assassination.

The Promise of Progress

STIMULATING THE ECONOMY

● New Frontier

● Science, space, prejudice, poverty, surplus

● Blocked by same coalition of Republicans

and Southern Democrats that blocked
Truman’s Fair Deal

● Mandate—a clear indication that voters

approved of leader’s plans

● Did manage to boost economy, national

defense, international aid, and space program

The Promise of Progress

STIMULATING THE ECONOMY

● 1960s - America in recession

● Unemployment about 6%

● Used deficit spending

● 1961, Kennedy asked for more money

● Department of Defense - 20% increase

● Minimum wage raised to $1.25 per hour

● Extended unemployment insurance

● Provided assistance to cities with high

unemployment

The Promise of Progress

ADDRESSING POVERTY ABROAD

● Peace Corps: a program of volunteer

assistance to the developing nations

● “Kennedy’s Kiddie Korps”

● Peace Corps was success

● All ages and backgrounds signed up

● By 1968, > 35,000 volunteers

The Promise of Progress

ADDRESSING POVERTY ABROAD

● Alliance for Progress - offered economic and

technical assistance to Latin American
countries

● 1961 - 1969 almost $12 billion invested

● Mostly tried to stop spread of communism

The Promise of Progress

RACE TO THE MOON

● April 12, 1961, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri A.

Gagarin became first human in space

● Kennedy saw it as a challenge

● Less than month later US does puts astronaut

in space

● Late 1961, communication satellite (Telstar)

relayed live pictures across Atlantic Ocean

● Space Race

● July 20, 1969, Neil Armstrong on moon

● Many new technologies for business and

industry

The Promise of Progress

ADDRESSING DOMESTIC PROBLEMS

● 1962, The Other America (Michael

Harrington)

● 50 million lived on less than $1,000 per year

● Fight against segregation

● 1963, Kennedy began to focus on issues at

home (poverty and civil rights)

● Justice Department investigate racial

injustice in South

● Sweeping civil rights bill

● Proposal to cut taxes by $10 billion

Tragedy in Dallas

FOUR DAYS IN NOVEMBER

● November 22, 1963, Kennedy assassinated

● Nation shocked

● Lyndon Johnson sworn in

● Lee Harvey Oswald charged with

assassination

● November 24, Jack Ruby shot Oswald

Tragedy in Dallas

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

● Warren Commission to investigate

assassination

● Concluded Oswald acted on his own

● 1979, reinvestigation concluded that Oswald

was part of conspiracy

● US government remarkably sturdy