John F. Kennedy
1917-1963
The Beginning
-served from January 20th of 1961 to November 22nd of 1963
-ran against Democratic against Richard Nixon of California
-JFK was Roman Catholic
-very open about his ideals which gained him great popularity
-gave a speech at the Democratic Convention called the "New Frontier" speech
"For the problems are not all solved and the battles are not all won—and we stand today on the edge of a New Frontier..... But the New Frontier of which I speak is not a set of promises—it is a set of challenges. It sums up not what I intend to offer the American people, but what I intend to ask of them."
-1960 election was closest presidential election since 1916
-winning by total of 0.1% (including popular vote, electoral vote, and state votes combined) against Nixon.
-Lyndon B. Johnson became Vice President
The Cold War
-said that America lacked in leadership
-gave moral boosting speeches which increased troop numbers significantly
-Berlin was separated soon after inauguration
-allied powers helped rebuild West Berlin
-Oct. of 1961 - Cuban Missile Crisis
-told to launch an immediate attack on Cuba but he held off
-secret negotiation stated Cuba would remove it's missiles if the US would remove their Jupiter Missiles from Turkey
-JFK hailed hero
-Kennedy followed Eisenhower regarding Vietnam
-supported "Domino Theory"
-willing to send 1000 military advisers over but couldn't due to treaties
Civil Rights
-stated that it was unconstitutional
-put the cold war over higher priority in the beginning of his presidency
-"Freedom Riders" went to the South to stop segregation
-Federal Marshall's were sent to protect the Freedom Riders
-Executive Order of 10925 gave government contractors ability to ensure employees are treated equally
-24th Amendment put in place stating that poll taxes couldn't be put in place.
1968
-assassination of Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King
-first year of stardom for Jimi Hendrix
-first photos of sunrise from from moon on Apollo 8
-Government lied to US about winning Vietnam War
-movements for gay rights show up and become a nationally known movement