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Honors U.S. History
Chapter 20: The New Frontier and the Great Society
43
History
11th Grade
05/23/2008

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Term

The voters in 1960 were restless due to many factors.  What were they?

Definition

1.  The economy was in recession

2.  The launch of Sputnik I and Soviet missile development sparked a concern that the U.S. was behind militarily

3.  The U-2 Incident and Cuba's alignment with the Soviets maade people here wonder if we weren't losing the Cold War

Term
For the 1960 election who were the two canidates?Where did the two canidates stand on the issues?
Definition
The Democrats nominated John Fitzgerald Kennedy and the Republicans nominated vice president Richard M. Nixon.  The canidates had similar positions on policy issues but two factors would work in Kennedy's favor:  television and the civil rights issue.
Term
How did televised debates effect the outcome of the 1960 election? What were the opinions of the canidates before and after the debates?
Definition
Before the debates people thought Kennedy was too young, inexpirienced, and his Catholic religion was a problem.  Nixon hoped that his knowledge of foreign policy would expose Kennedy's inexperience, but Kennedy (coached by TV producers) looked and spoke better than Nixon did that evening.
Term
How did Kennedy attract the attention of the African American voters during the 1960 election?
Definition
In October of 1960 Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested.  Eisenhower refused to intervene and Nixon took no public position on the matter.  Kennedy phoned King's wife Corretta to express his sympathy and Robert kennedy persuaded the judge in the case to let King out on bail, pending appeal. 
Term
Who won the 1960 election and by how much?
Definition
Kennedy won by fewer than 119,000 votes which was the closest win since 1884
Term
Who were the Kennedy's advisors?
Definition

McGeorge Bundy - a Harvard University Dean as National Secretary Advisor

 

Roberd McNamara - president of Ford Motor Company as Secretary of Defense

 

Dean Rusk - president of the Rockefeller Foundation as Secretary of State

 

Robert Kennedy - the presedent's youngest brother as Attorney General

Term
What was Kennedy's primary concern when he took office, and why?
Definition

Kennedy focused first on the Cold War.  He felt that the Soviets were gaining friends in the economically less developed countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. 

He believed that his most urgent task was to redefine the nation's nuclear strategy.

Unlike Eisenhower who relied heavily on massive retaliation with nuclear weapons, Kennedy's team developed a policy of flexible response.

 

Term
Define Flexible Response
Definition

1.  Maintain and enlarge nuclear arsenal

2.  Expand and modernize conventional (non-nuclear forces)

3.  Create speacial forces (Green Barrets) for small guerilla wars

Term
What was the first test of Kennedy's foreign policy?
Definition
His first test of foreign policy was when the new leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro, openly declared himself a communist and welcomed aid from the Soviet Union.  Eisenhower had cut off diplomatic relations two weeks prior to Kennedy taking office.  
Term

How did Castro come to power?

Definition
Castro came to power by leading a group of revolutionaries who overthrew Cuban strongman and dictator Fulgencio Batista.  Castro had at one time promised to eliminate poverty, inequality, and dictatorship.  But all he did was replace dictatorship with another type.
Term

Describe the Bay of Pigs

Definition
In March of 1960 Eisenhower gave the CIA permission to security train Cuban exiles to invade Cuba.  Kennedy only learned of this plan after he took office.  Although he was unsure of this plan, he approved it.  On April 17, 1961 13000-15000 exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs, Cuba.  They were ill-equiped and outnumbered considering Castro's army was numbered at 25,000 and were backed with Soviet equipment.  Kennedy was embarassed about the fiasco and looked incompetent.  He agreed to pay a sum of 53 million dollars for medical supplies and food to Castro for the release of the survivors. 
Term
Define the Cuban Missile Crisis
Definition
Nikita Krushchev promised Castro he would defend Cuba with Soviet arms.  On October 14, 1962 on U-2 reconnaissance plan photographed missiles in Cuba, some ready to launch.  On October 22nd Kennedy informed an anxious nation of the existence of the Soviet missiles and of his plansto remove them.  He made it clear that any missile attack from Cuba would trigger an all-out attack on the Soviet Union.  Kennedy issued troops to invade Cuba and prepare to blockade the Cuban coasts.  If the Soviet ships were coming to Cuba with more missiles they would not be allowed through so when the Soviets found that the U.S. was blockading they turned around to avoid confrontation.  Kennedy made a deal that if the Soviets took out their missiles he would take out their missiles in Turkey.  Considering the missiles in Turkey were going to be evacuated anyway there was not much of a loss.
Term
Why was the Berlin wall built?
Definition
In 1961 Berlin was in such turmoil that some three million East German's escaped to West Berlin which was a problem for Krushchev as it was an advertisement of communism's failure in East Germany.  When Krushchev saw Kennedy at a summit meeting in Vienna he tried to get Kennedy to give up West Berlin but Kennedy refused angering Krushchev.  Kennedy returned home to make a speech that would warn the America that we might be going to war with East Berlin.  When both sides were ready, just before midnight on August 13, 1961, East German troops began to unload concrete posts and rolls of barbed wire along the border areas.  This was the start of what came to be known as the Berlin Wall.  This wall became a symbol of communist oppression. 
Term
How did Kennedy and Krushchev ease tensions between countries after the Berlin wall was built?
Definition

Both leaders wanted to avoid split-second decisions that could lead to a nuclear war so they created a phone line that was called the 'Hot Line.'  This phone allowed both leaders to talk to one another instantly to avoid a crisis.  Later that year the U.S. and the Soviet Union also agreed to a Limited Test Ban treaty that barred nuclear testing in the atmosphere.

Term
What was Kennedy's broad vision?  Why were his ideas shot down and by who?
Definition
Kennedy set out to transform his broad vision of progress into what he called the 'New Frontier.'  Kennedy had difficulty making his vision a reality however, as conservative Democrats joined with Republicans in Congress to block most of his proposals such as: 1. medical care for the aged 2. urban renewal 3. aid to education.  Kennedy had only been elected by the slimmest of margins so he lacked a popular mandate. 
Term
Although Kennedy's ideas in his broad vision were shut down he did manage to put some of his ideas into affect.  What were they?
Definition

1.  plans to build national defense

2.  provided programs that boosted the economy

3. proided international aid

4.  funded a massive space program

Term
Define Deficit Spending
Definition
The strategy wa to increase government spending and lowering taxes
Term
Kennedy sent a bill to Congress that would spend more money on the military.  What else came out of this bill?
Definition

1.  increased minimum wage to $1.25 an hour

2.  extended unemployment insurance

3. provided assistance to cities with high unemployment

Term
How did Kennedy adress poverty abroad?
Definition
One of the first campaign promises kennedy fulfilled was the creation of the Peace Corps.  Another effort to effect positive change in latin America was not as successful.  This was known as the Alliance for Progress.  Between 1961 and 1969 some $12 billion in aid was sent to Lating America through this program.  While the money brought some change to the area it did not bring any fundamental reforms.
Term
Define the Peace Corps
Definition
A program of volunteer assistance to the developing nations of Africa, Asia, and latin America.  Despite some reservations form critics, both foreign and domestic, the Peace Corps became a huge success.
Term
What did Kennedy challenge the nation to do? What sparked this challenge?
Definition
On Apil 12, 1961 Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gogarin became the first human to orbit the earth in space.  kennedy saw this a challenge and called for the U.S. to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade.  In less than a month the U.S. had duplicated the feat sending U.S. astronaut John Glenn into orbit in a Mercury Space Capsule.  Later that year, a communications satelite called Telstar relayed live pictures across the Atlantic Ocean from Maine to Europe.  Meanwhile, America's NASA had begun to construct new launch facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida and a mission control center in Houston, Texas.  Seven years later, on July 20 1969, the U.S. would achieve its goal of putting a man on the moon when astronaut Neil Armstrong descended to the surface of the moon in Apollo 11.
Term
How did Lindon Johnson make his way into the Senate?
Definition
A fourth-generation Texan, Johnson, grew up in the dry Texas hill country of Blanco County.  He entered politics in 1937 when he won a special election to fill a vacant seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.  He styled himself a "New Dealer" and became a protege of FDR.  once in the House, Johnson ran for a seat in the Senate.  (Johnson won but allegedly stuffed the ballot box ith a late surge of counterfeit ballots, a tactiv he had learned from someone who pulled the same trick on him in an earlier Texas election.)
Term
How did Johnson prove himself a master of party politics and behind-the-scenes maneuvering?
Definition
People calle dhis legendary ability to persuade senators to support his bills the 'Johnson Treatment.'  This often consisted of LBJ 'buttonholing' his opposite number and talking non-stop within inches of his face until he 'surrendered' to Johnson's point of view.  Johnson's deft handling of Congress led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first ciil rightts legislation since the Reconstruction period.
Term
Define the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Definition

This was the bill the LBJ was able to pass in the wake of Kenedy's death.  It stated:

1.  Prohibited discrimination based on race, religion, national origin, and gender.

2.  Granted the federal government new powers to enforce its provisions

Term
Define the Economic Opportunity Act (EOA)
Definition

In 1964, at the urging of the President, Congress enacted the EOA approving nearly one billion dollars for youth programs, antipoverty measures, small-business loans, and job training.  The were:

1.  Job Corps Youth Training Program

2.  VISTA (Volenteers in Service to America)

3.  Head Start (for underpriveliged preschoolers)

4.  Community Action Program (encouraged poor people to participate in public-work programs)

Term
In the 1964 elections who were the canidates?
Definition
The Democrats were trying to re-elect LBJ and the Republicans nominated conservative senator, Barry Goldwater.
Term
Who was Barry Goldwater and what were his ideas?
Definition

He was the Republican nominee for the 1964 elections and his ideas included:

1.  Wanted to make social secrity voluntary

2.  Wanted to sell the TVA

3.  Felt the federal overnment had no business trying to right social and economic wrongs such as poverty, discrimination, and lack of opportunity

4.  Criticized the Democrats for being soft on Communism and suggested he might use nuclear weaons on Cuba and North Veitnam (This scared the hell out of most Americans who were glad to have escaped nuclear exchange over the Cuban Missile Crisis)

Term
Who won the 1964 election and by how much?
Definition

LBJ won the election by a landslide, winning 61% of the popular vote and 486 electoral votes while Goldwater only won 52

Term

Describe the Great Society

Definition
In a speech LBJ gave at the University of Michigan, he outlined a legislative program that would end poverty and racial injustice, create  higher standard of living, equal opportunity, and promote a richer quality of life for all.  Like is idol and mentor FDR, Johnson wanted to change America.  When he left office he had passed 206 of his measures.
Term
How did LBJ help education in America?
Definition

He passed the Elemantary and Secondary Education Act in 1965 that gave $1 billion in federal aid to help public and parochial schools purchase texts and new library materials

Term

What is the difference between Medicare and Medicade?

Definition

LBJ instituted both of these.

Medicare gives hospital and medical insurance for those over 65.

Medicaid gives health insurance for those on welfare.

Term
How did LBJ help housing in America?
Definition
He passed bills that provided low-rent public housing units and leped people with low or moderate incomes to pay for better private housing.  He established the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD.)  He appointed Robert Weaver to head this department. 
Term
Who was Robert Weaver?
Definition
He was the head of the Department of Housing and Urban Development.  He was the first-ever African American cabinet member.
Term
How did the Great Society help Immigration?
Definition
The Great Society brought profound changes to the nation's immigration laws.  It was called the Immigration Acto of 1965 and it stated that it ended quotas based upon nationality.  Opening the gates to many non-Europeans
Term
What is the Water Quality Act of 1965 and why was it passed?
Definition
This act required that states clean up their rivers.  It was Rachel Carson's book Silent Springs, published in 1962, tha exposed the hidden danger of the effects of pesticides.  Her book and public outcry brought on help to bring pressure on the goverment which helped passed this bill.
Term
Describe the trial of Baker vs. Carr
Definition

This trial established the principle of "one person, one vote"

The Court said that the federal government had the right to tell states to reappartion (divide) their voting districts for more equal representation.

This was later extended to include state legislative districts under Reynolds vs. Sims

Term
Describe the trial of Mapp vs. Ohio
Definition

In 1961 this trial setthe precident that evidence illegally seized cannon be used in state courts.

This is called the exquisionary rule

Term

Describe the trial of Gideon vs. Walnwright

Definition
In 1963 this trial set the precident that the criminal court is required to provide legal representation to those too poor to afford it for themselves.
Term

Define the trial of E. Scabeda vs. Illinois

Definition
In 1964 this trial said that the accused has a right to have a lawyer present during police questioning.
Term

Define the trial of Miranda vs. Arizona

Definition
In 1966 this trial stated that all suspects must have their rights read to them prior to any questioning
Term
What happened in The Dominican Republic in 1965?
Definition
Johnson sent marines to fight for counter...?
Term
What was the relationship between the U.S. space program and our image abroad?
Definition
The Space Program enhanced our public image because of the space race and other issues like that one.
Term
What was the underlying theme of Johnson's foreign policy?
Definition
It was anti-communism
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