Name Class Date. The New Frontier and the Great Society Section 1

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1 Name Class Date Section 1 MAIN IDEA President Kennedy continued the Cold War policy of resisting the spread of communism by offering help to other nations and threatening to use force if necessary. Key Terms and People John F. Kennedy president of the United States from 1961 to 1963 Robert Kennedy brother of the president; served as attorney general Fidel Castro Communist dictator of Cuba Bay of Pigs invasion unsuccessful attempt by the United States to overthrow Castro Lyndon B. Johnson Kennedy s vice president who went to West Berlin Cuban missile crisis conflict between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet missiles in Cuba Peace Corps U.S. group that trained volunteers and sent them to poorer nations to be teachers, health care workers, and to do other helpful work Alliance for Progress Kennedy s program for aid to Latin America flexible response Cold War strategy that involved strengthening non-nuclear U.S. forces so that there would be choices for response other than nuclear war Section Summary KENNEDY BECOMES PRESIDENT John F. Kennedy ran against Richard Nixon for president in the 1960 election. Kennedy called his plans for changing the nation the New Frontier. He spoke out about changes, but he also spoke out against communism. He won by a small majority of the popular vote. Kennedy had young, smart advisers, including the attorney general, who was his brother, Robert Kennedy. Circle the name of the man who ran against Kennedy in THE BAY OF PIGS INVASION In 1960 the CIA had been training exiled Cubans to invade Cuba. They wanted to remove Fidel Castro, the Communist dictator of Cuba. He had ties to the Soviet Union. The invasion, called the Bay of Pigs invasion, began during Kennedy s early days in office. Many things went wrong and the invasion was a failure. Cuba grew closer to the Soviet Union. Which country did Castro have ties to? 130 Interactive Reader and Study Guide

2 Name Class Date Section 1 THE BERLIN CRISIS Kennedy met with Nikita Khrushchev, the Soviet leader, in Khrushchev demanded that the United States recognize East Germany as an independent nation and remove its troops from West Berlin. West Berlin was an island of freedom surrounded by East Germany. Kennedy reacted by sending more troops. Thousands of East Germans were escaping to West Berlin. To stop them, the East Germans closed the borders and built a high wall around Berlin. Anyone caught crossing the wall was shot. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson visited West Berlin and told its people they would not be abandoned. Two years later, Kennedy, too, visited Berlin and repeated the promise. Why did the East Germans build a wall around West Berlin? THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS The Cuban missile crisis began in October 1963, when U.S. spy planes found that the U.S.S.R. had put nuclear missiles in Cuba. These could strike anywhere in the United States. In response, Kennedy blockaded Cuba by sea. He put U.S. forces on full alert. Soviet ships carrying missile parts approached the American ships. Fortunately, at the last minute they turned back. Khrushchev agreed to remove the missiles from Cuba if the United States promised never to invade Cuba. The United States and the Soviet Union almost came to nuclear war during the Cuban missile crisis. How was this avoided? KENNEDY S FOREIGN POLICY Kennedy created several programs to help poorer nations. The Peace Corps trained volunteers to serve as teachers and health care workers in poor countries. The Alliance for Progress gave aid to Latin America. However, it often tied the aid to anti-communist dictators who were not supported by the people. Kennedy s strategy was the flexible response. This meant strengthening non-nuclear forces so there were choices other than nuclear war. Why was Kennedy s strategy called flexible? CHALLENGE ACTIVITY Critical Thinking: Compare and Contrast Conduct some research into everyday life in East Berlin and West Berlin. How was it the same in both parts of the city? How was it different? 131 Interactive Reader and Study Guide

3 Name Class Date Section 2 MAIN IDEA John F. Kennedy brought energy, initiative, and important new ideas to the presidency. Key Terms and People Jacqueline Kennedy First Lady to President John F. Kennedy New Frontier Kennedy s plans to change the country mandate permission to act Earl Warren chief justice of the Supreme Court; author of many important decisions Warren Court the Supreme Court for the 21 years that Earl Warren was chief justice Lee Harvey Oswald assassin of President Kennedy Warren Commission commission led by Earl Warren to investigate Kennedy s assassination Section Summary KENNEDY S NEW FRONTIER Kennedy was skilled at using the media to project the image he wanted. He showed himself as young and athletic. Actually, he had many health problems. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy was attractive and from a wealthy family. She supported the arts and made the White House the nation s unofficial cultural center. Kennedy wanted to improve the nation with his New Frontier plans. However, he did not have a clear mandate. The election of 1960 was too close to be seen as permission for him to act. Kennedy urged Congress to reduce taxes in order to fight unemployment. He proposed federal aid for education and creation of a health plan for the elderly. Congress acted on none of these ideas. Kennedy did convince Congress to pass financial help for poor areas of the country. Congress also created a job retraining program and raised the minimum wage. In 1961 the Soviet Union caught Americans by surprise. It launched the first human into space. Kennedy proposed that within 10 years the United States should land a human on the moon. The space race began. How was Kennedy s image different from reality? What were three ideas President Kennedy had to improve the nation? Circle the year the first human was launched into space. 132 Interactive Reader and Study Guide

4 Name Class Date Section 2 THE WARREN COURT During Kennedy s presidency, the Supreme Court made major changes in U.S. society. Led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, the court made many important decisions about the laws of the land. The court became known as the Warren Court. In 1954 the court banned racial segregation in schools. In 1962 the court required the states to redraw the boundaries of their legislative districts when populations changed. In 1964 it decided that a person has a right to a lawyer during police questioning. The court also prohibited formal prayers and daily Bible readings in public schools. The justices said that the government may not make any one religion the nation s official religion. Circle the date when the Supreme Court outlawed racial segregation in schools. Why did the court prohibit formal prayers in public schools? THE KENNEDY ASSASSINATION On November 22, 1963, Kennedy was working to build support for his re-election campaign in Texas. He was in Dallas, riding in an open car on his way to deliver a speech. Suddenly shots were fired and Kennedy was killed. Within hours, Vice President Lyndon Johnson was sworn in as the next president. Just hours after Kennedy was shot, the police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald, a troubled man with connections to Cuba and the Soviet Union. As Oswald was being moved to the county jail, he was shot to death by Jack Ruby, a man with ties to organized crime. These occurrences caused people to wonder if Oswald had acted alone. President Johnson named Earl Warren to head the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination. It concluded that Oswald and Ruby had each acted alone. Kennedy offered great promise to Americans. In world affairs he had won friends for the nation through the Peace Corps and bettered relations with the Soviet Union. At home, however, he was not able to accomplish all he set out to do. What did the Warren Commission decide about the assassination? CHALLENGE ACTIVITY Critical Thinking: Evaluate Would you rate Kennedy as a successful president? Write two paragraphs explaining your position. 133 Interactive Reader and Study Guide

5 Name Class Date Section 3 MAIN IDEA President Johnson used his political skills to push Kennedy s proposals through Congress and expanded them with his own vision of the Great Society. Key Terms and People War on Poverty set of programs designed to reduce poverty in the United States Job Corps work-training program for unemployed youth of the United States VISTA Volunteers in Service to America; the domestic Peace Corps Great Society Johnson s programs to improve American society Barry Goldwater Johnson s opponent in the presidential election of 1964 Medicaid government program to provide free medical care to the poor Medicare government program to provide medical care to the elderly Johnson Doctrine foreign policy guideline that called for the United States to step in if a Communist dictator came to power in Latin America Pueblo incident capture of a U.S. Navy spy ship by the North Koreans Section Summary JOHNSON BECOMES PRESIDENT Johnson had been a congressman, a senator, and Senate majority leader. By 1960, when he became vice president, he had more influence in Washington, D.C., than any other Democrat. He had great political skills and great compassion for the underprivileged. What positions did Johnson hold before he became vice president? ENACTING KENNEDY S AGENDA Johnson told the nation that he would carry on Kennedy s programs. He asked Kennedy s advisers to stay. One of Kennedy s plans was to fight poverty. Johnson called it the War on Poverty and gave it high priority. He got Congress to pass the Economic Opportunity Act. It created the Job Corps, a worktraining program for unemployed youth, and VISTA, Volunteers in Service to America. VISTA was a domestic Peace Corps. Kennedy s tax cut bill was passed and the economy grew while unemployment fell. Johnson also got Congress to finally pass the Civil Rights Act. Underline the programs first developed by Kennedy that Johnson got passed. 134 Interactive Reader and Study Guide

6 Name Class Date Section 3 THE GREAT SOCIETY Johnson s plans for the country went beyond those of Kennedy. He wanted to create the Great Society, a society with abundance, liberty, and justice for all. In the 1964 election, Johnson faced conservative Barry Goldwater. Goldwater suggested using nuclear weapons in Vietnam and thought that government programs to help people were similar to communism. Johnson won the election by a landslide. With a mandate to act, Johnson pushed Congress into action. In 1965 it passed the first large-scale program of government aid to public schools. Other programs created the first federal college scholarships and Head Start, a preschool education program. The Department of Housing and Urban Development was created. Congress approved the money for Medicaid. This provided free health care for poor people. Medicare, a health care program for the elderly, was also begun. In 1967 Johnson also signed laws to improve the environment and to create the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. What Great Society programs were begun between 1964 and 1967? JOHNSON S FOREIGN POLICY Progress on the Great Society slowed by the end of One reason was that the government was spending $2.5 billion per month on the Vietnam War. Johnson was determined not to lose ground to the Communists. In 1965 he had sent troops to the Dominican Republic to end a revolt. The development of the Johnson Doctrine said that the United States had a right to step in if a Communist dictatorship might be established. In 1967 Johnson signed the first direct treaty with the Soviet Union in 50 years. Also, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 58 other nations agreed to ban weapons in outer space. In a 1968 crisis, the North Koreans captured the U.S. Navy spy ship Pueblo. Johnson negotiated a settlement for the Pueblo incident. North Korea released the crew but kept the ship. To which foreign country did the United States send troops in 1965? CHALLENGE ACTIVITY Critical Thinking: Analyze Why do you think Johnson was more successful than Kennedy at passing new programs through Congress? 135 Interactive Reader and Study Guide