Kennedy and the New Frontier 1960-1963

Question 1

Why did Kennedy win the 1960 election?

Name 4 points

Answer 1

1) Kennedy had enormous funding for his campaign, as his father Joseph was one of the richest men in the USA
2) Kennedy promised to tackle Communism, as USSR had launched the first satellite in 1957.
3) Kennedy supported Martin Luther King and won much of the black vote, as he had helped King’s release from prison in October 1960
4) He was decorated for bravery in the navy in the WW2

Question 2

New Frontier

• Changes to new central government

Answer 2

• The Brains Trust
  Kennedy gathered a team of the brightest young experts from American universities, most of whom had never worked for the government before.

Question 3

New Frontier

• Civil rights example

Answer 3

In October 1962, he sent 23,000 government troops to ensure that one black, James Meredith, could study at the University of Mississippi.

Question 4

New Frontier

• Civil Rights Bill 1963

Answer 4

He introduced a Civil Rights Bill to Congress in 1963, which aimed to give African Americans equality in housing and education, but was defeated in Congress.

Question 5

New Frontier
• Economic policies limitations

Name 3 points

Answer 5

1) There was still unemployment in traditional industries such as coal, iron and steel.
2) Unemployment was twice as high among African Americans.
3) The boom was heavily dependent on government spending

Question 6

New Frontier
• Economic policies
Name 3 points

Answer 6

1) JFK increased spending on defence and space technology, all of which secured or created jobs.
2) A general tax cut as more spending would mean more goods sold
3) Limited prices and wages to ensure inflation did not spiral out of control.

Question 7

New Frontier
• Limitations of his social reform
Name 2 points

Answer 7

1) Slum clearance created housing shortages in inner-city areas.
2) Minimum wage only helped those who already had a job and the poorest people could not afford to pay back the housing loans.

Question 8

Opposition to the New Frontier 1960

Answer 8

1) From the Southern Congressmen and Democrats, who disliked his commitment to civil rights.
2) Some opposed the further extension of the power of federal government and greater central government spending.

Question 9

What were Kennedy’s social reform

Answer 9

1) He increased the minimum wage from $1.00 to $1.25 an hour

2) The Social Security Act gave greater financial help to the elderly and unemployed