Kennedy's new frontier

Question 1

what was the New Fronteir?

what was kennedy’s policies and views on welfare

Answer 1

speech accepting democratic nomination 1960
* america encouraged to meet the challenedges of:
* science
* space
* ignornace
* poverty
* injustice

• born wealthy bostonite - no experience of poverty
• presidentil campign emphasised a contrast to the stagnation o the Eisenhower years
• lets get eht counrty movintg again

Question 2

what did kennedy initially ask congress to legislate on?

Answer 2

• urban affairs - attempt to imporve deteriorating urban areas
• rise in minimum wage
• educational financial aid
• tax cuts to stimulate the economy

Question 3

what was the Area Redevelopment Act ?

limitations?

Answer 3

1961
* granted $394 million to extend employment opportunities
* created over 26,000 new jobs

5 illion remained unemployed
congress refused to renew it in 1963 as republicans disliked Kennedy’s policies and southern democrates disliked his civil rights policies

Question 4

what was the Manpwoer Development and Training Act ?

limitations

Answer 4

1962
* attempt to retrain and train new worlkers in newly mechanised industries
* 351 apporved programes
* 12,600 trainees
* Kennedy promoted it as significant

• many agree it had little impact on unemploment
• subsidised those doing the training rather than helping the trainees

Question 5

what was the Minimum Wage Act ?

limitations

Answer 5

1961-1963
* raised minimum wage from$0.25 - $1.25
* covered extra 36 million workers

still excluded most exploited workers (eg. washer women)
alot of blakc women uncovered as southern democrats had no interest in helping

Question 6

what was the Omnibus Housing Act ?

limitations

Answer 6

1961
* granted $5 million to extend housing programmes
* auhtorisd low interest loans for middle-income families

congress prioritised reduction of recession rather than helping the poor so often prioritised developers and unions rather than the truly needy

Question 7

how did Kennedy utilise federal purchasing power?

Answer 7

• direct assistance to Depratment of Agriculture to double food distribution
• food-stamp programme - fed 240,000 people
• ectendedx Eisenhowers school lunch/milk programmes 700,000 children had hot lunch

Question 8

why do some consider Kennedy a legislative failure?

Answer 8

1. failed to gain congresional support for much of legislation
2. no new major domstic legislation passed - mostly extensions of existing programmes rather than new frontier programmes

Question 9

what were some major legislative innitiatives that kennedy failed to get through congress?

when were they rejected

Answer 9

• civil rights bill to end Jim Crow laws (stuck in congress until his death)
• finacial aid for education (1961)
• tax cuts (1963)
• senior citizen health care (1963)

Question 10

what are explainations for his legislative failures ?

Answer 10

• congress dominated by republicans / southern democrats
• congreessmen re[resenting small cities disliked big expenditure
• Kennedy disliked congressional bargaining and relied on inexperienced aids rather than Johnson’s agressive but effective tactics
• invasion of cuba - national security too presidence over welfare

Question 11

what were the peac corps ?

Answer 11

• institution to help impoverished countries in africa and asia
• privatley expressed a hope it would counter soviet propoaganda
• 71% of americans approved of peace corps
• demonstrated Kennedy’s desire to compete with soviet is less economically developed countries