Kennedy New Frontier

Intro to kennedy:

·       He had no real concept of inequality he said ‘really did not learn about the depression until I read about it at Harvard’- rich prick

·       Born to a wealthy Boston Irish Democrat Family. As a Senator, he announced his Presidential candidacy in January 1960.

·       He positioned himself as much more interventionist than Eisenhower with the slogan, ‘Let’s get the country moving again’. 

Social welfare and unemployment  

In his New Frontier speech, JFK spoke of the challenges of poverty and ignorance and asked Congress for legislation on several domestic issues: 

• New department of urban affairs and housing in order to halt ‘the appalling deterioration of many of our country’s urban areas’ where 70% of Americans lived and to ensure ‘adequate housing for all segments of our population

• Schemes to help the unemployed 

• A rise in the minimum wage 

• Federal financial aid to education 

• Health insurance for the elderly 

• Tax cuts to stimulate the economy  

Unemployed, underemployed and unskilled workers 

• In contrast to Eisenhower who vetoed legislation on depressed areas, JFK encouraged congress to pass measures to help with unemployment and underemploymen

helping unemployed- The Area Redevelopment Act 1961

• The Area Redevelopment Act, 1961 granted $394 million to extend employment opportunities to states such as West Virginia. Was poorly funded by Congress but created 26,000 jobs and training programmes benefiting 15,000 people.  

• Congress refused to re-authorise the Act in 1963 in spite of 5 million unemployed 

helping unemployed- Manpower and Development Act 1962

Manpower and Development Act, 1962. JFK said it was significant but it had little impact on unemployment because it mainly subsidised officials and private interests who provided the training rather than greatly decreasing the number of unemployed

helping the poor pt.1

• Social Security Amendments Act, 1961 – expanded benefits for the elderly and disabled.  

• The Minimum Wage Act – raised the minimum wage from by $0.25 to $1.25 and covered an extra 3.6 million. However, half a million of the poorest remained uncovered – 150,000 laundry workers, most of whom were black women. The Republicans opposed the 25% raise and the Southern Democrats had no desire to help black women. 

helping the poor pt.2

• The Food and Agriculture Act, 1962 – subsidised farmers, although poverty persisted. 

• The Omnibus Housing Act, 1961 – Congress granted $5 billion for the extension of existing programs. Such as urban renewal and authorised low interest loans for struggling middle class families. However, Congress’s desire was to get the economy out of recession rather than help the poor instead it prioritised developers, construction unions ect… 

helping the poor pt.3

• JFK used his executive powers to focus on federal purchasing power and construction projects in areas of high unemployment and to direct the Department of Agriculture to double food distributions to the poor. 

• JFK’s pilot food-stamp programme fed 240,000 at a cost of $22 million per year. 

• JKF supported and extended Eisenhower’s school lunch and milk programmes, helping 700,000 more children and 85,000 more schools. Childcare centres and camps received fresh milk.  

legislative failures- no congress support for programmes

• Federal aid for elementary and secondary school education – rejected 1961. 

• Senior citizen healthcare to alleviate the poverty of the elderly because of their medical bills – rejected 1963. 

• A Department of Urban Affairs and Housing to halt urban decline – rejected repeatedly between 1961-62. 

• A civil rights bill – stuck in Congress at the time of his assassination. 

• Tax cuts to stimulate the economy – rejected 1963.  

legislative failures- no initiatives passed under his Presidency

could be argued he put issues around health, poverty, unemployment, urban decline firmly on the political agenda. His defeats can be explained by a number of reasons: 

• Congress was dominated by Republicans and Southern Democrats who opposed federal expenditure and intervention in education and health insurance. 

• Congressmen representing rural areas did not engage with urban renewal and Southerners did not wish to assist black ghettos. 

• JFK did not like to Congressional bargaining in which his Vice-President Lyndon Johnson excelled. He relied on inexperienced aides to promote his legislation.  

• The 1961 failed invasion of Cuba meant JFK prioritised national security, agreed with him by 63% of Americans.  

The Peace Corps, why

• established 1961

• He wanted to deal with ‘unanswered questions of poverty and surplus’ he made little progress in dealing with poverty but his peace corps were a good start

• JFK said it was an organisation which allowed Americans to fulfil their responsibilities to ‘world development’ and ‘world peace’ by means of young volunteers sent to help poorer nations by teaching them and technical aid

The Peace Corps , what

• Thousands of volunteers and those who got through the tough training programme (22% failed) went of with minimum allowance to live and work alongside the nationals of the county to which they were allocated

• Between 1961-63 volunteers were sent to 44 countries. 

The Peace Corps , impact

• He insisted the peace corps weren’t an instrument of ‘propaganda or ideological conflict’ in private he expressed the hope that it would counter Soviet Propaganda that depicted the US as selfishly exploiting weaker nations and show that American national values were superior to Soviet Unions

• 71% approval from Americans, although critics called it ‘Kennedy’s Kiddie Korps’. Yet still successful as tens of thousands volunteered and both political parties attested to its success when it was financed for the next half-century

• JFK also saw this is allowing the US to gain a foothold in what would be a future forum for the Cold War. 

JFK and the Cold War  

• During his time in Congress he experienced the Soviet takeover of Eastern Europe, China’s fall to communism in 1949 and the US war against communism in Korea. He also saw Eisenhower’s opposition to communism in Vietnam.  

• Kennedy wrote the Nixon after he defeated him saying ‘it really is true that foreign affairs is the only important issue for a president to handle, isn’t it? I mean, who gives a shit if the minimum wage is $1.25 or $1.15, in comparison to something like this’

Cuba and Vietnam

• Cuba- communist threat too close to the US. JFK executed the failed Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961 which was a major embarrassment for Kennedy early on as people thought he was inexperienced and weak, ever so slightly weakened his new frontier idea but so many people still backed him.  He was seen as the victor in the Cuban missile crisis, 1962 which was so good as made Kennedy look strong and general boost of patriotism- no one likes communism, popularity skyrocketed

• JFK greatly escalated US involvement in Vietnam. When he died there were 20,000 military advisers, compared to 1000 Eisenhower sent. 

 

The Space programme  

• JFK was responding to a series of Cold War humiliations:  

• October 1957, first Soviet satellite in space (sputnik) and boasted incessantly about their leading stance in space. 

• November 1957, US satellite launch failure made worldwide news (British newspapers headlines included ‘oh what a flopnik’).  

• April 1961, soviet Yuri Gagarin orbited the earth.  

• April 1961, US supported Cuban invasion failed.  

The Space programme  why and opinion

·       Kennedy needed a success in space to help restore faith in his leadership and the new Frontier spirit. May 1961, JFK told Congress he wanted to land a man on the moon as he said this would show American superiority and bring valuable international prestige, especially in the ‘battle for minds and souls’ in the Cold war arena of the less developed nations.

·       Kennedy spent a great deal of time justifying the $40 billion cost of moon landing ($225 for each American). Although his main focus was winning the Cold War. Privately he told NASA he had no interest in space only in beating the Soviets

• By 1965, 58% of Americans favoured the moon project. 

Environmentalism and the expansion of the National Park system 

• Water Pollution Control Amendment Acts, 1961 – built on previous legislation 

• Cape Cod National Seashore, 1961 – followed on the establishment of the first national seashore in 1953.  

• Rachel Carson’s1962 book, Silent Spring – inspired environmentalism and opposition to the adverse effects of pesticides. She was invited to the White House Conference on Conversation in 1962.