The Unfinished Nation: Chapter 28 - The Turbulent 60s

Overview

• Focuses on the domestic and international politics of the 1960s.
• Main presidents of the 1960s: John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson.
• Shift in political, social, and civil rights landscapes.

Domestic Politics

Expansion of the Liberal State

• Continuation of welfare state policies from FDR, Truman, Eisenhower.
• Eisenhower expanded Social Security and minimum wage.
• Kennedy and Johnson further expanded these policies.

Election of 1960

• Candidates: John F. Kennedy (Democrat) vs. Richard Nixon (Republican).
• Kennedy's youth and new era representation vs. Nixon's old guard.
• First televised debates; Kennedy appeared more presidential.
• Kennedy won narrowly.

Kennedy's Presidency

• Domestic program: The New Frontier (welfare-related agenda).
• Assassinated in 1963; succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson.

Johnson's Presidency

• Domestic program: The Great Society (largest since the New Deal).
  • War on Poverty, Medicare (elderly healthcare), Medicaid (healthcare for impoverished).
  • Immigration Act of 1965 eliminated national origin quotas.
• Success debated based on political affiliations.

Civil Rights Movement

Key Developments

• Starts in the 1950s, culminates in the 1960s.
• Pace of desegregation seen as slow despite legal victories.

Civil Rights Activism

• Sit-in protests: Black students protested whites-only sections.
• Freedom Rides: Tested desegregation rulings on interstate buses.
• Major incidents gained national attention via TV, increased support.

Legislative Achievements

• Kennedy's call for civil rights law after Medgar Evers’ assassination.
• March on Washington: 200,000 people, King’s "I Have a Dream" speech.
• Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned segregation in public accommodations.
• Voting Rights Act of 1965 ended discriminatory voting practices.

Post-Civil Rights Movement

• Shift towards addressing poverty, affirmative action.
• Emergence of Black Power movement (e.g., Black Panthers, Nation of Islam).
• Notable leaders: Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X.
  • Malcolm X's shift towards cooperation before assassination.

Cold War Context

Kennedy & Johnson’s Foreign Policy

• Committed Cold Warriors.
• Focus on Third World countries during decolonization.
• Peace Corps for humanitarian relief.
• Bay of Pigs Invasion: Failed attempt to overthrow Castro.
• Cuban Missile Crisis: Closest point to nuclear conflict.

Vietnam War

• Vietnam divided post-French departure.
• Rise of NLF/Viet Cong against US-backed South.
• Gulf of Tonkin Incident escalated US involvement.
• Massive troop escalation under Johnson.
• War of attrition, difficulties due to Ho Chi Minh Trail.
• Anti-war movement grows, especially against the draft.
• Tet Offensive in 1968 turns American public opinion.

Political Landscape

Election of 1968

• Robert Kennedy emerges as anti-war leader before assassination.
• Martin Luther King Jr. also assassinated in 1968.
• Hubert Humphrey becomes Democratic nominee among disarray.
• Republicans nominate Richard Nixon, advocating for "silent majority."
• Nixon wins, marks shift in political landscape.

1960s as a Turbulent Era

• Assassinations of prominent leaders: JFK, MLK, RFK.
• Significant social changes and movements: Civil Rights, anti-war, women's rights.
• Rise of a counterculture and shifts in political affiliations.