America in the 1960s Flashcards
Reasons why Eisenhower’s approval rating started to drop (near the end of his presidency)
- Americans were afraid that they were losing in both the Arms + Space race
- During the Red Scare, Eisenhower never denounced Senator McCarthy(and his investigations)
- didn’t provide aid to low-income farmers in the South(which he had promised to do earlier)
- He “allowed” Cuba to turn communist
Election of 1960
Republican Nominee: Richard Nixon
Democratic Nominee: John F Kennedy
(the first-ever televised presidential debate which would help JFK win the election)
JFK’s New Frontier [Plan]
- improve education
- health care
- civil rights
- urban renewal
- space race
(*presidents of the 1900s regularly created plans: FDR’s New Deal, Teddy Roosevelt’s square deal, etc.)
Bay of Pigs invasion
April 17, 1961
- secret invasion planned by JFK to get Cuba back
- Castro found out+ prevented the invasion
- Causes Cuba to form an alliance with the Soviet union
Cuban Missle Crisis
- October 16, 1962 – October 28, 1962
- Response to the Soviet Union wanting to put nuclear silos in Cuba
- JFK sets up blockade surrounding Cuba
- 13 days
- agreement: the Soviet Union would remove all missiles from Cuba, America would remove all missiles from Turkey
Shift in Foreign Policy(creating a flexible response)
- Refrain from getting into an ‘Arms Race’ with the Soviet Union
- Develop different technologies + styles of warfare to combat communism
(Leads to more armed conflicts/the funding of armed conflicts around globe)
Lyndon B Johnson’s
The Great Society Plan
- War on poverty
(Provide more Federal programs to help provide aid to the lower classes and elderly) - Civil Rights
(Provide more Federal assistance and legislation to guarantee the rights of African Americans )
Women’s Liberation Movement/ 2nd wave of Feminism
- women would challenge the ‘norms of the 1950s and the role of women in America
- The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedman
National Organization for Women(NOW)
- organization dedicated to the advancement of women’s right in America
pushed for:
- maternity leave rights
- Child-care centers
- Tax deductions for childcare
- Equal job-training
- Passage of laws against employment discrimination
Equal Protection Commission(1965)
- federal legislation that prohibited employment discrimination
- (allowed the federal government to file suits against companies regarding discrimination based on race, sex, or origin)
March on Selma and Washington
Selma:
Washington D.C
- 08/28/1963
- "I Have A Dream" speech
- MLK asks for federal action for
more civil rights legislation
(250,000 attended)
Black Muslim Movment
- led by Elijah Muhammed + Malcolm X
- encouraged
- Black Nationalism
- Separatism
- Self-Improvement
Malcolm X
- symbol/voice of the Black Muslim movement throughout 1960s
- encourage African Americans to be educated but also meet violence with violence
- opposed MLK and his “civil disobedience” movement
George Wallace
- governor of Alabama
- most vocal politician against desegregation in America
(Wallace would become a large barrier for Civil Rights activist trying to desegregate southern schools during the Civil Rights Movment)
Civil Rights Act of 1964
- desegregated public facilities(ex-bathrooms, schools, hotels, etc..)
- Gave Federal government authority to use the military to enforce the desegregation of schools.
Civil Rights Act of 1965/Voting Rights Act of 1965)
- made segregatory voting laws(ex-poll tax, literacy test, etc.) illegal
Civil rights Act of 1968/Fair Housing Act of 1968
- Prohibits discrimination concerning the sale, rental, or financial housing
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Regulated that state courts provide counsel for indigent or poor defendants.
Escobedo v. Illinois (1964)
Required that police must inform an arrested person of his or her right to remain silent.
Engel v. Vitale (1962)
state laws requiring prayer and Bible readings in public schools violate 1st amendment rights.
Yates v. US (1957)
1st Amendment does protect radical or revolutionary speech
unless it violates “clear & present danger”
Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
- Extended the ruling of Escobedo v. Illinois
- right of a lawyer to be present during questioning of the police (Miranda Rights)
Mapp v. Ohio(1961)
illegally seized evidence cannot be used in a case against the accused
Miscellaneous Important events
March on selma
March on Washington
Malcolm X dies
MLK dies-
Food Stamp Act 1964
Expanded the federal program to help poorer people to buy food
National Foundation of Arts and Humanities (1965)
- Provided federal funding for the arts and for creative and scholarly projects
Medicare(1965)
Provided Health Insurance for all people 65+
Medicaid(1965)
Provided funds to states to pay for medical care for the poor and disabled
Elementary & Secondary Education Act
1965
Provided Federal funds for:
- poor school districts
- special education
- Head Start(early childhood education program)
Higher Education Act(1965)
Provided federal funding for post-secondary education scholarships
Immigration Act(1965)
Abolished discriminatory quotas based on national origins
Child Nutrition Act(1966)
Added breakfast to school lunch
Election of 1968
Democratic Candidate: Hubert M. Humphrey
Republican Candidate: Richard Nixon
Independent: George Wallace
Nixon wins
