Lecture Notes: Events of the 1960s - JFK and LBJ Administrations

Introduction

• Focus: Events of the 1960s, JFK and LBJ administrations
• Importance for APUSH students

John F. Kennedy's (JFK) Administration

Election of 1960

• JFK vs. Richard Nixon
• First televised presidential debates
• Kennedy perceived as winning due to TV presence
• JFK becomes the first Catholic President

JFK's Domestic Program

• "New Frontier"
  • Federal money for education, healthcare, civil rights
  • Limited accomplishments due to close election margin

Space Race

• JFK promotes space exploration
• Pledges to put a man on the moon
• Successful moon landing in 1969

Peace Corps

• Established to send aid to underdeveloped countries

Cold War and Foreign Affairs

Key Events:

• Bay of Pigs Invasion (1961)
  • Failed attempt to overthrow Castro
  • Strengthened Soviet-Cuban relations
• Berlin Wall (1961)
  • Built to prevent East Germans from fleeing to West
• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
  • US discovers Soviet missiles in Cuba
  • Naval blockade and tense negotiations
  • Result: Hotline between DC and Moscow, nuclear test ban treaty

Defense Policy

• Transition to "Flexible Response"
• Increase in conventional weapons
• Creation of the Green Beret Special Forces

Assassination

• JFK assassinated in Dallas (1963) by Lee Harvey Oswald

Lyndon B. Johnson's (LBJ) Administration

Background

• Vice President under JFK
• Became President after JFK's assassination
• "Great Society"
  • Expansion of federal government
  • Focus on civil rights, education, healthcare

War on Poverty

• Inspired by Michael Harrington’s book "The Other America"
• Office of Economic Opportunity
  • Programs: Head Start, Job Corps, etc.

Immigration and Nationality Act (1965)

• Ended quotas from the 1920s
• Increased immigration from Latin America and Asia

1964 Election

• LBJ's liberal agenda vs. Barry Goldwater
• Rise of conservative leaders like Ronald Reagan

Great Society Programs

• Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, public housing
• Environmental acts influenced by "Silent Spring"
• Criticisms: Costly, inefficient, dependency

Civil Rights Movement

Under JFK

• Slow progress due to political constraints
• Grassroots movements continue pressure
  • Freedom Rides, James Meredith at Ole Miss
• Letter from Birmingham Jail by Martin Luther King Jr.
• March on Washington (1963)
  • King’s "I Have a Dream" speech

Under LBJ

• Civil Rights Act (1964)
  • Segregation illegal, banned employment discrimination
• Voting Rights Act (1965)
  • Ended literacy tests, increased African-American voting
• Radicalization within the movement (e.g., Malcolm X, Black Panthers)

Vietnam War

Escalation

• US involvement increases post-French withdrawal
• Gulf of Tonkin Incident (1964)
  • LBJ receives blank check for military action

Tet Offensive (1968)

• Revealed war was far from over
• Increased anti-war protests

Other Social Movements

Anti-War Movement

• Division: Hawks vs. Doves
• Impact on Great Society

New Social Movements

• Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley
• Students for a Democratic Society (SDS)
• Rise of feminist, gay rights movements (e.g., Stonewall Riots)
• Movements for Latino, American Indian, and Asian-American equality

Conclusion

• 1960s: A decade of significant social, political, and cultural change
• Encouraged to continue reading and exploring other materials for deeper understanding