John F. Kennedy
1960-1963
Election of 1960
- JFK ran as a democrat against Richard Nixon (the republican candidate)
- One of the closest elections in history, Kennedy got 303 electoral votes and Nixon got 219.
- January 20, 1961: Presidential Inauguration
- Made a new cabinet, one of the youngest, that had his brother Robert on it.
- "The Harvards" were and group of Kennedy's friends that all graduated from Harvard the school.
The Cold War
- Problems from European decolonization started to occur in foreign policy
- Kennedy wanted a "flexible response" so that the U.S had options that could deal with any severity of the crisis
- U.S army entered Vietnam the help Diem, who was falling politically. Kennedy however, later encouraged a coup against him in November 1963.
- U.S contributed to political disintegration, which they ultimately wanted to eliminate in the beginning.
Civil Rights
- JFK wanted the support of the Southern legislation, so in the future he could pass laws that would benefit African Americans.
- Campaigned to black voters, and claimed that he would get rid of discrimination based on race, ethnic origin, gender, and religion.
- Freedom Riders: meant to end segregation
- Southern officials were not able to control the violence, so federal marshals were used to protect the Freedom Riders
- Administration joined the civil rights movement
Assassination
- November 22, 1963
- Dallas, Tx
- President Kennedy shot and killed while riding in a limousine
- Killer was Lee Harvey Oswald
- Oswald had killed Kennedy with 3 gunshots and from an elevated buildings
- Jack Ruby then killed Oswald
- Theories that Ruby was involved and killed Oswald to cover up his own involvement in JFK's death emerged
- Vice President at the time, Lyndon Johnson, came into the office after JFK's death.
- The public mourned his death and the rumors that a Catholic could not be president were eliminated.