Chapter 20 Sections 1 & 2 – Kennedy’s Presidency
A. Kennedy’s Election
1. Kennedy ran for president up against Richard Nixon, Eisenhower’s Vice President.
2. During the campaign, MLK had been jailed for sitting at an-all white lunch counter and sentenced to months of hard labor.
a. Nixon felt this punishment was too harsh, but did nothing to help King.
b. JFK called Coretta Scott King and expressed his concern.
c. JFK also got his brother, Robert, to call the judge and arrange for King’s release.
d. While both Nixon and Kennedy stressed civil rights in the campaign, African Americans chose to vote for Kennedy because he had taken a stand to help MLK.
3. The key turning point in the election was the September 26, 1960 televised debate between JFK and Nixon.
a. Nixon had been campaigning non-stop and looked tired on television, yet he felt he could beat JFK in the debate because he knew more about foreign affairs then Kennedy did.
b. Kennedy was coached by television producers, so he appeared confident and seemed to speak better.
4. The election was one of the closest ever, and there were questions over the results.
a. Nixon chose not to question results, so Kennedy won.
5. 43-year-old JFK was a contrast to previous president, Eisenhower.
a. He was young and exciting.
b. He had a beautiful, fashionable wife, Jackie, and two kids, Caroline and John Jr.
c. Americans liked the hopeful tone to his inaugural speech, where he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.”
d. Since Kennedy won the election by a small margin, he moved slowly at first in proposing new legislation, since he did not want to offend anyone.
e. Many people were caught up with the media image of Kennedy, while others distrusted him because of his father’s wealth, possible mob connections, and Catholic faith.
B. Kennedy’s Presidency
1. JFK dealt with Cold War issues like the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
2. Kennedy also had to confront new issues concerning East and West Berlin.
a. See page 677. In the eleven years since the Berlin Airlift, three million Germans fled East Germany by traveling through West Berlin.
b. Communists wanted to stop the flow of refugees and threatened to cut off roads, railroads, and flights to West Berlin, (just like what Stalin had tried in 1948).
c. Kennedy gave a speech showing his support for the West Berliners, so the Communists built a wall around West Berlin in August of 1961.
3. Kennedy also had to lead the US in the space competition with the USSR.
4. NASA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, had been created by previous presidents, but under Kennedy’s leadership, NASA built a launch area in Cape Canaveral, Florida and a mission control center in Houston, Texas.
a. Yuri Gagarin of the USSR was the first person to orbit the earth in April of 1961.
b. Even though the US was far behind the Soviet advances, JFK asked Congress to commit to “landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to earth” before 1970. See p. 681.
c. Alan Sheppard became the first American into space and John Glenn was the first American to orbit the earth from space in February of 1962.
d. Project Mercury, a series of test flights, was carried out from 1961 – 1963.
e. Then the Apollo program was created to accomplish the moon-landing goal.
f. Finally, on July 20, 1969, the Apollo program achieved its goal, when Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon.
g. The emphasis on space caused a surge in teaching children math and science.
h. Many of the new technologies created for the lunar landing program also had everyday applications, which encouraged all industries to increase their research.
C. The New Frontier
1. JFK proposed a plan called The New Frontier, which was a series of programs that Kennedy believed were needed to create progress in the US.
2. It was designed to address issues like inner-city slums, inadequate education, and poverty.
3. The New Frontier included social programs that raised the minimum wage, spent federal funds on the needy, and created the Peace Corps to help poor, developing nations.
a. The Peace Corps organized volunteers who helped in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
b. Volunteers served as teachers, health care workers, and agricultural advisors.
c. By 1968, there were 35,000 volunteers in 60 nations.
4. Some ideas in the New Frontier were not approved by Congress, like:
a. proposals for medical care for the elderly
b. money to rebuild poor, urban areas
c. aid for education
5. Other aspects of the New Frontier were successful, like:
a. Congressional measures to boost the economy
b. increase in spending on national defense
c. funds for the space program
d. funds for international aide
6. Many other important ideas that were part of the New Frontier were never brought before Congress due to Kennedy’s tragic death.
D. Camelot
1. Kennedy’s presidency is nicknamed “Camelot,” which compared JFK to King Arthur.
2. Camelot was the name of Arthur’s perfect kingdom. It was a dream society that did not last, due to King Arthur’s early death. This is similar to Kennedy’s vision of the New Frontier that was not fully created due to the President’s early death.
3. In Camelot, all of King Arthur’s knights sat at a round table, where all would be equals. This is similar to Kennedy’s stand on civil rights.
4. King Arthur was advised by a wise and mystical magician, Merlin. Kennedy was advised by the “best and the brightest.” His Cabinet members were all intelligent experts in their fields.
5. Part of King Arthur’s downfall was his jealousy over his beautiful wife’s adultery. In the legend, Queen Guinevere slept with Arthur’s closest friend, Sir Lancelot. In Kennedy’s life, he was the one having affairs with many different women, including Marilyn Monroe, who was also rumored to have been with John’s younger brother, Robert (Bobby).
6. The main reason for the comparison was timing. Camelot, the musical, hit Broadway at the start of JFK’s presidency. It was wildly popular with the Kennedy family and the American people.