election of 1960. election firsts! all 50 states vote first live tv debates first roman catholic...
TRANSCRIPT
ELECTION FIRSTS!• All 50 states vote• First live TV debates• First Roman Catholic elected president• Youngest ever elected
JFK vs. Nixon • JFK (Democrat)• A very young candidate.• Came from a very rich family.• Believed communism was America’s worst
enemy.• Good television speaker and due to his good
looks many believed he would win the election.• Lyndon B. Johnson running as Vice President
• Dilemma for Johnson- Senate Majority Leader (very powerful). Power of VP?
• Nixon (Republican)• Nixon was a young candidate.• He came from a poor family.• Believed communism was America’s worst
enemy.• Nixon was a very good radio debater, but
people who watched the debates on T.V. thought Kennedy won because he was attractive.
ADVANTAGES• JFK
1. Charisma / personality / youth
2. Family wealth / name in politics
3. War hero / Pulitzer prize
• Nixon1. Vice President / Ike Year’s
2. Middle class / Business workers
3. Great political experience - HUAC
DISADVANTAGES• JFK
1. Youth / inexperience (Senate record)
2. Religion
• Nixon1. Reputation as a dirty fighter
2. Eisenhower comments- “unenthusiastic”
TV DEBATES / CAMPAIGN• September 1960
• Schedule – 4 one hour debates• First debate is most important – why?• JFK – big winner on TV – reasons?• Nixon come back – polls close in October & November
• http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1960 • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbrcRKqLSRw
ELECTION OF 1960 - RESULTS
1. JFK / LBJ win a narrow victory (fewer than 119,00 popular votes out of 69 million)
2. Illinois problem state – accusations of fraud
3. JFK enters office without a “Mandate” or public endorsement of his proposals
Kennedy’s New Frontier • This was an extension of FDR’s New Deal and Truman’s
Fair Deal.• Kennedy will quickly be at odds with business leaders in
the United States, especially in steel.
New Frontier• Largely economic and social
• He tried fighting poverty in the South and in big cities.• Raised minimum wage• Kennedy went to work on funding public schools by
passing new bills.• He supported the Area Development Act which
encouraged businesses to move into economically depressed areas.
• The Housing Act asked for $5 billion for urban renewal
Kennedy and Steel• Kennedy told steel companies to hold down prices to
allow economic growth, but they didn’t listen.• He threatened them by saying the US would buy foreign
steel and sent the Justice Department to investigate their business practices.
NASA• One of Kennedy’s biggest
accomplishments was the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
• Part of this reason was to compete with the Soviets in the Cold War.
• The Decision to Go to the Moon• President John F. Kennedy's May 25, 1961
Speech before a Joint Session of Congress• Get to the moon by the end of the decade-
succeeded
Kennedy At Odds• Kennedy was frequently at odds with the
legislative branch.• Southern senators and representatives
blocked many of the measures that he tried to pass partly because he was for civil rights.
• Caused a lot of controversy during his presidency
Kennedy’s Death• When Kennedy went to Dallas to try
and stir up support for his programs, he was assassinated on November 22, 1963.
• When he was killed, it seemed as if time stopped in this country.
• This also affected people around the globe specifically allies that Kennedy had made in many third world countries.
• Warren Commission analyzed his death
• Conspiracies galore!• https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yznRGS9f-jI