Kennedy Complete Flashcards
Name the two candidates running in the 1960 presidential election.
Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy
Why did Nixon appear exhausted in the televised debate?
He travelled to all 50 US states in his election campaign and refused make up
How did Eisenhower damage Nixon’s campaign?
He defended his own record instead of supporting Nixon
What were Kennedy’s strengths as a candidate in the 1960 election?
He was young, charming and charismatic
By what % of votes did Kennedy win the 1960 election?
0.17%
What name was given to Kennedy’s policies that challenged the American people?
The New Frontier
What three key things did Kennedy challenge Americans to deal with?
- ‘poverty and surplus’
- ‘ignorance and prejudice’
- ‘science and space’
How did Kennedy’ policies target poor voters and Democrats?
They showed a commitment to liberalism
What name was given to Kennedy’s team of advisers?
The Best and Brightest
Who was Kennedy’s speech writer?
Theodore Sorensen
Who was Kennedy’s Secretary of Defence?
Robert McNamara
Who was Kennedy’s Vice President and why was he picked?
Lyndon B Johnson - to win southern votes
Who was Kennedy’s Secretary of State?
Dean Rusk
How many people remained unemployed during Kennedy’s presidency?
5 millino
Why is Kennedy’s legislative record considered unimpressive by historians?
Congress rejected his major policies
What did Kennedy increase the minimum wage to?
$1.25 per hour
Which act created 26,000 jobs?
The Area Redevelopment Act
What key issue did Khrushchev and Kennedy disagree about in Vienna in 1961?
The Brain Drain in Germany
What did Khrushchev hope to achieve with the USA?
Peaceful Co-Existence
What expanded under Kennedy?
Interstate highways supporting construction industry
Who did Kennedy’s Social Security Amendments help?
Elderly and disabled
What was impact of Kennedy’s food stamp program?
240,000 people were fed
Who was the leader of the USSR during Kennedy’s presidency?
Nikita Khrushchev
What does Peaceful Co-existence mean?
the idea that the USSR and USA could exist peacefully alongside each other
In what month was the Berlin Wall built, dividing East and West Berlin?
August 1961
What fanous speech did Kennedy give in Berlin in June 1963?
Ich bin ein Berliner
Which Eisenhoer plan did Kennedy approve against Castro?
Operation Zapata - a joint CIA and Cuban Exile invasion of Cuba
What was the message of Kennedy’s famous speech in Berlin?
That all Berliners were part of the West
Which key Truman and Eisenhower policy did Kennedy continue?
Containment
Which policy, similar to Truman, did Kennedy have regarding the armed forces?
He increased the size of US forces
Which policy, similar to Eisenhower, did Kennedy have regarding weapons?
He continued to expand America’s nuclear arsenal
Which group of countries did Kennedy give economic aid and send the Peace Corps to?
Third World countries
What did Castro do to Americans in Cuba?
He exiled them
What happened to the pro-American General Batista in Cuba in January 1961?
He was overthrown by Fidel Castro
Where did the attempted invasion land in Cuba in 1961?
The Bay of Pigs
What happened to the attempted invasion of Cuba?
It failed within two days and all were killed or imprisoned
What did Castro declare in the aftermath of the failed invasion of Cuba?
That Cuba was Communist and working with Khrushchev
What began in Cuba in August 1962?
The installation of nuclear missiles
How and when did Kennedy find out about missiles on Cuba?
U2 spy plane photographs on 14th October 1962
What did Khrushchev think about Kennedy after their meeting in Vienna in 1961?
That he was weak and a coward
What did Kennedy set up to advise him during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Ex-Comm
How did Kennedy attempt to stop further missile equipment getting to Cuba?
A naval blockade
What was the outcome of the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Missiles were removed from Cuba and Kennedy secretly removed US missiles from Turkey
How were Kennedy and Khrushchev’s reputations affected by the CMC?
Kennedy was seen as a hero, Khrushchev was humiliated and lost power in the USSR by 1964
Where did Martin Luther King protest in April 1963 leading to riots?
Birmingham
What happened to the number of advusers in Vietnam by 1963?
Increased to 17,000
What policy of moving villagers away from Communism did Kennedy approve in Vietnam?
Strategic Hamlets
Who was the President of South Vietnam that Kennedy supported?
Ngo Dinh Diem
What did Kennedy approve against Diem in November 1963?
A coup against Diem and his assassination
Despite wanting to help Vietnam, what was Kennedy reluctant to do?
Send US ground troops
Which two forms of protest tested Supreme Court rulings against segregation under Kennedy?
Sit ins and Freedom Rides
What key civil rights event took place in August 1963?
King’s ‘I have a dream’ speech in Washington
What impact did increased violence in the South by white racists have?
Bobby Kennedy attempted to enforce Supreme Court rulings for desegregation
What happened to Malcolm X in the 50s and 60s?
He became a famous speaker
Which civil rights organisation was Malcolm X the leader of?
The Nation Of Islam
Where did racial tension increase particularly under Kennedy?
Northern ghettos such as Harlem (New York) and Watts (Los Angeles)
How did many southern whites oppose the civil rights movement?
Joined the KKK and attacked supporters of desegregation
Which two southern law enforcement officials used violence against protests?
Bull Connor in Birmingham and Jim Clark in Selma
Which Democrat won the 1962 Alabama election with an extreme racost campaign?
George Wallace
What did some Northern Americans think about desegregation?
It should be slow and not enforced by government
What did JFK do in response to opposition to civil rights?
He used executive powers
How did JFK attempt to ensure equality in federal organisations?
Appointed large number of black workers and 5 judges
What organisation was set up to create equal job opportunities?
The EEOC
Why was America the most powerful nation in the worl by 1963?
They had more weapons than the USSR and had military bases in allied nations
What did JFK do in response to violations of black voting rights in the South?
He took 57 cases to court
In which events was Kennedy forced to act?
Freedom Rides and Mississippi University
After witnessing which key civil rights event did Kennedy work harder on civil rights issues?
Birmingham riots
Which two global organisations supported America’s foreign policy?
NATO and SEATO
What was signed between Kennedy and Khrushchev that limited the nuclear arms race?
The Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
People from which organisation were sent to 44 Third World Nations under Kennedy?
Peace Corps
Which low paid professions did most black southerners do?
Sharecroppers or domestics
What did Kennedy ask Congress to finance in may 1961?
US moon landing effort
In what years of Kennedy’s presidency did America see slowdowns in economic growth?
1961 and 1962
What happened to America’s GNP and people’s personal income under Kennedy?
GNP rose by 20% and personal income increased by 15%
What two issues concerned US voters by the end of Kennedy’s presidency?
1.2% inflation and 5-7% unemployment
Where did many northern black Americans live?
In ghettos
What were Congress reluctant to do that would have helped those in poor housing?
Fund Kennedy’s promise to build more houses
Which movement grew in the early 60s as a result of persistent inequality?
Women’s liberation movement
What were the main professions of women after WW2?
Cleaning, waitressing, teaching, nursing
What did 18 states do that showed women’s inequality?
Refused to have women jurors
In six states, what did women need, to be able to sign a financial document?
A man present
Which group of women started to campaign more for equal pay and employment?
Middle class women
Which best selling book encouraged women not just to be housewives, when was it published?
The Feminine Mystique 1963
Who wrote the Feminine Mystique?
Betty Friedan
What were the key issues that groups started to protest about under Kennedy?
Vietnam, the Civil Rights Movement, and American Consumerism
What was student acitivism in the 60s inspired by?
- the counter-cultural beat generatino
- Kennedy’s rhetoric
- Civil rights movemement
- Disenchantment from American conformism
- Vietnam wwar
What was established in 1960 at the University of Michigan?
the SDS
When was the Port Huron statement published and what did it call for?
1962 - called for students to shake off America’s ‘national apathy’ and improve American society
