Key info of Kennedy Flashcards
length of Kennedys presidency
1961-63
Eisenhowers errors that helped Kennedy win the election (4)
- refusing to endorse nixon - defended his own record instead
- refused to deny missile gap (would escalate arms race)
- stopped Nixon calling for full candidate health disclosure
- federal budget surplus that contributed to a recession
Nixons errors that helped K win (3)
- didn’t let eisenhower campaign for him till 1960
- campaigned in all 50 states (exhaustion)
- eisenhower advised him not t debate with Kennedy (just free advertisement for k)
when was his new frontier speech (month and year)
July 1960
4 new frontier ideas
poverty and surplus
fight Cold War
ignorance and prejudice
science and space
who was his sec of defence
McNamara
what was the problem with who Kennedy chose in his administration
inexperienced in govt
why did Kennedy choose LBJ as VP
win southern voters
why is Kennedys legislative record unimpressive
congress rejected so much ]- civil rights , healthcare for elderly etc
positives and negatives of area redevelopment act of 1961
+ 26,000 jobs and training programmes
+ helped in impoverished states such as West Virginia
- 5 mil remained unemployed
- congress underfunded then refused to renew act in 63
why was the manpower and development and training act ineffective
benefitted officials and private interests more than workers
benefits and negative of minimum wage increase
+ raised to $1.25
- half a mil without coverage
what did Kennedy extend that helped generate jobs
interstate highway system
what is the omnibus housing act
granted 5 bil for public housing and urban renewal
- helped developers more than poor
what did Kennedy do to help feed poor
food stamps
when did Castro overthrow cuban dictator
1559
what did Castro criticise about America
their economic stranglehold over Cuba
- he threatened americas property interests
how did eisenhower respond to castors threats about property
joint CIA cuban exile invasion to overthrow Castro
what had Kennedy promised in his 1960 elections about Cuba
- for it not to become a soviet base
when did exiles land at bay of pigs (month and year’)
April 1961
how many cuban exiles at bay of pigs
1600
two reasons why bay of pigs failed
- insufficient aid
- castro was forewarned
3 results of failure of bay of pigs
- Kennedy humiliated
- castro declared he was a communist ( drew closer to soviets)
- Khrushchev thought K weak so thought he could get away with installing nuclear missiles in Cuba
when happened in august 1962
soviet missiles and technicians arrived in Cuba
what did Kennedy establish to deal with cuban missile crisis
ExComm (national security council)
what did Kennedy call the blockade to sound less aggressive
quarantine
why did he want a naval blockade for cuban missile crisis
stop soviet shipments of men and materials to Cuba
what did Kennedy withdraw the blockade line to in oct to give Khrushchev more time to think
800 to 500 miles
what were Khrushchevs demands to end cuban missile crisis
- if Kennedy halted blockade and promised not to invade
(also wanted removal of American missiles from turkey but Kennedy ignored this)
significance of cuban missile crisis
- soviets humiliated (contributed to Khrushchevs fall from power)
- sobered by crisis so hotline installed for ussr and usa for future emergencies
- first attempt to slow nuclear arms race
what was significant about august 1963
partial nuclear test ban treaty
why was east germanys economy damaged
2 million had fled to west
when did East Germans build Berlin Wall
month and year
august 1961
significance of Berlin Wall (4)
- divided west and east
- increased west German anxiety and anti communist hostility
- Kennedy went to Berlin to assure him he was a berliner
- Kennedy did nothing to stop it - made khru think he could get away with missiles in Cuba
why did Kennedy continue involvement in Vietnam
- containment + domino theory
- wanted to prove himself after bay of its
- military advisors such as McNamara and risk urged him
how many American advisors assisted diem by 1963
17,000
who organised the first of the freedom rides and what was their aim
core
- integrated group travelled on interstate buses to test Supreme Court rulings on interstate travel
how did racists react to freedom riders + response of govt
- burnt buses so R. Kennedy responded to enforce the supreme ruling
why did MLK choose birgiingham
Bull Connor would react violently and it would gain publicity
who is the public safety commissioner in Alabama, Birmingham
bull Connor
who organised the march on Washington
Phillip Randolph
two main aims of march on Washington
- encourage passing of Kennedys civil rights bill
- increased black employment opportunities
how many were at the march of Washington
250,000
3 things Kennedy did to help af-ams
- appointed lots into federal positions + five black federal judges
- equal employment opportunity commission
- brought 57 cases against illegal violation of black voting rights in south
3 reasons why Kennedy failed at conquering ‘ignorance and prejudice’
- didn’t want to respond to ‘unpatriotic’ freedom riders - forced tp due to violence
- situation in north
- 46% of unemployed Americans were black
what all white uni did James Meredith seek entry to
Mississippi
how did Robert Kennedy help James Meredith
due to violence sent Mississippi national guard and us army regulars
why was the USA the world’s most powerful nation by 1963
- more missiles and superior navy
- soviets surrounded by US military bases in allied nations
- NATO and SEATO
what demonstrated soviet unpopularity in east Europe
Hungarian revolt of 1956
what is the peace corps
improve usa image abroad
- young volunteers sent to help poorer nations help themselves through teaching and technical aid programmes
aim of peace corps
counter soviet propaganda of usa exploiting weaker nations
how many countries did peace corps work in
44
when did Kennedy ask congress to finance putting American on the moon
1961
when did man go on moon
1969
what was on Americans major concerns in spring 1963 poll
inflation and unemployment
what did ‘the affluent society’ book emphasise
- permanent American underclass
what did Harringtons ‘the other America’ say
40-60 million Americans in poverty
what were most black southerners employed in
low paid sharecropping or domestic occupations
what exacerbated housing shortage for black Americans
city councils tearing down black neighbourhoods in name of urban renewal
why were women facing persistent inequality (4)
- mainly in low paid jobs (waitresses)
- treated badly (airlines fired women in 30s)
- 80% of teachers but 10% of principals
- educated women steered towards ‘caring’ occupations (nursing)
what did some schools do to pregnant girls and women
fire pregnant teachers and students
when did feminine mystique come out
1963
