Domestic policies under Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon Flashcards
1
Q
Who was the 1960 Election between?
A
- Kennedy and the Republican Candidate Richard Nixon
- Election was very close but JFK had majority
- JFK=Democrat
2
Q
Why did Kennedy win the election of 1960?
A
- Catholic: retained and won back Catholic support
- Image helped: appeared youthful (43), good looks, glamorous wife
- had desire for change: promised New Frontier: vague about what this meant
- Promised to defeat communism
- Took advantage of popularity of MLK; Oct 1960 King arrested for trying to desegregate restaurant in Atlanta
- JFK used influence to obtain his release; publicised and ensured him AA support
- TV played important role: 70 million viewers watched 4 televised debates + more impressed with JFK than Nixon; those who listened on radio believed N had won
3
Q
What was the New Frontier?
A
- A slogan JFK used to try and inspire and unite young Americans
- became programme of reform and change in which K hoped to make USA fairer society by giving equal rights to all AA
- essentially wanted to make US fairer and better place
- made major changes to central government
- E.g gathered a team of the brightest young experts from American universities-known as the Brains Trust
4
Q
What were JFK’s limitations with civil rights?
A
- Before 1963, he was somewhat hesitant because he did not wish to alienate conservative Southerners whose vote he needed
5
Q
What did JFK do for civil rights?
A
- Appointed 5 federal judges inc Thurgood Marshall: leading civil rights activist
- JFK also threatened legal action against the state of Louisiana for reusing to fund schools that were not segregated
- Oct 1962: sent 23,000 gov troops to ensure that 1 black student, James Meredith, could study at the University in Mississippi
- Introduced Civil Rights Bill in Feb 1963: aimed to give AA equality in housing and education, defeated in Congress
6
Q
What did JFK do for the economy?
A
- introduced a general tax cut as more spending = more goods sold
- public works costing $900 mill
- Federal Gov would began a series of projects, e.g new roads and public buildings
- Grants given to high-tech companies to invest equipment to train workers
- JFK increased spending on defence and space tech: created jobs and promised to put man on moon by end of decade
- limited prices and wages to ensure inflation did not spiral
7
Q
What were the limitations of JFK’s handling of the economy?
A
- still unemployment in traditional industries such as coal, iron and steel
- unemployment twice as high amongst AA
- boom was heavily dependent on gov spending
8
Q
What did JFK do to enact social reform?
A
- increased min wage from $1.00 to $1.25 an hour
- The Manpower and Training Act: provided retraining for long term unemployed
- The Area Redevelopment Act: allowed Federal Government to give loans and grants to states with long-term unemployment
- The Housing Act provided cheap loans for the redevelopment of inner cities
- The Social Security Act gave greater financial help to the elderly and unemployed
- Social security benefits were extended to each child whose father was unemployed
9
Q
What were the limitations of JFKs social reform?
A
- Kennedy planned to start medicare, again a cheap system of state health insurance, but was thrown out by congress
- Slum clearance created housing shortages in inner-city areas
- min wage only helped those who already had a job
- the poorest people could not afford to pay back the housing loans
10
Q
What opposition did Kennedy face to the New Frontier?
A
- little achieved during his 1000 days in office
- partly due to his own failings as politicians as well as opposition to New Frontier
- seemed preoccupied with FP and lacked clear and coherent programme
- Greatest opposition came from Southern Congressmen, even Democrats, who disliked his commitment to civil rights
- Some opposed the further extension of power of federal gov and greater central gov spending
- many still believed values of “rugged individualism”
11
Q
When was Johnson president?
What was his policy called?
A
- 1963-1968
- Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ)
- The Great Society: included important economic and social reforms as well as Civil Rights legislation
12
Q
What did Johnson do for civil rights
A
- LBJ achieved far more than JFK
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964: banned discrimination in public places, in federally assisted programmes and in employment
- 1965: the Voting Rights Act of 1965 appointed agents to ensure that voting procedures were carried out properly
- In 1967, the Supreme Court declared all laws banning mixed race marriages to be removed
13
Q
What did Johnson do for economic reform to help country overall?
A
- Johnson cut taxes to give consumers more money to spend, and, –> help businesses grow and create more jobs
- The Appalachian Recovery Programme provided federal funds for the development of the Appalachians
14
Q
What did Johnson do for economic reform to help the poor/ community?
A
- The Office of Economic Opportunity set up schemes to help poor people in inner cities
- funded new education and community projects and provided loans for local schemes
- schemes were basis of Johnson’s Programme for Poverty
15
Q
What did Johnson do for economic reform to help consumer protection?
A
- Manufacturers and shops had to label goods fairly and clearly
- Consumers had the right to return faulty goods and exchange them
