Chapter Chapter 27: New Frontiers and a Great Society, 1960–1968*

Bay of Pigs

The Kennedy Administration carried out a CIA plot to overthrow the young government of Cuban revolutionary Fidel Castro.

Bay of Pigs Invasion

Castro's opposition that fled to the United States would invade the island with United States support.

Bay of Pigs Operation Timing

The operation took place just three months after Kennedy took office.

Outcome of Bay of Pigs

The landing at the Bay of Pigs was a total disaster.

Berlin Wall

The Soviet Premier, Nikita Krushchev, decided to build a wall between East and West Berlin on August 13, 1961.

Purpose of Berlin Wall

To stop the flight of professionals and intellectuals from the Communist East.

Kennedy's Response to Berlin Wall

John F. Kennedy did not stop the construction of the wall, but visited West Berlin.

Kennedy's Famous Speech

Kennedy delivered his famous 'Ich Bin Ein Berliner' Speech to an audience of nearly half a million West Berliners.

Cuban Missile Crisis

After the Bay of Pigs, Fidel Castro gave the Soviet Union permission to install nuclear weapons in Cuba.

Discovery of Missile Sites

A United States Reconnaissance Aircraft discovered the missile sites in Cuba in October 1962.

JFK's Quarantine of Cuba

JFK ordered a quarantine of Cuba that led to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Nuclear Exchange Risk

The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest the world came to a nuclear exchange in the Cold War.

Soviet Union's Agreement

In secret negotiations, the Soviet Union agreed to withdraw its missiles from Cuba in exchange for the United States removing missiles from Turkey.

Sputnik

The Soviet Union launched the world's first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957.

NASA Establishment

The launch of Sputnik led the United States to establish NASA, the National Aeronautical Space Agency.

Space Race

Over the next dozen years, the Soviet Union and NASA attempted to one up each other until the American moon landing established clear American dominance in space.

Closed Society of Segregation

African Americans had no political rights, largely disenfranchised, not allowed to work in government jobs or hold public office.

Living Conditions of African Americans

Predominantly live in poverty, restricted to jobs 'in the back' in the private sector, restricted to share cropping in the agricultural sector.

Social Status of African Americans

They had second class social status, denied due process, not allowed to serve on juries, forced to use segregated public facilities.

Violence Against African Americans

Unremitting physical violence and intimidation from White Supremacists and the constant threat of lynching.

Northern Covert Segregation

Denied access to the suburbs by real estate covenants and covert customs and traditions.

Impact of White Flight

As white flight to the suburbs took place, the tax base of the inner city deteriorates.

Employment Discrimination

Employment discrimination restricted opportunities and careers, forced to attend poor schools, subject to mob violence and police harassment.

Political Rights of Northern African Americans

They could vote, hold office, work in government and were free from segregated public facilities.

Sit-Ins (1960)

Four Black college students refuse to leave an all-white lunch counter in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Sit-in

A form of protest where participants occupy a space and refuse to leave.

SNCC

Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, organized sit-ins and protests.

Freedom Rides

1961 CORE initiative to challenge segregation in interstate bus travel.

Birmingham Protests

1963 protests where city official Bull Connor brutalized demonstrators.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

Martin Luther King Jr's justification for non-violent protest.

Medgar Evers Assassination

Civil rights leader shot in 1963; a US Air Force veteran.

March on Washington

1963 event where 250,000 heard King's 'I Have a Dream' speech.

Birmingham Baptist Church Bombing

1963 bombing that killed four young black girls during Sunday School.

Freedom Summer

1964 initiative for voter registration in Mississippi; four workers murdered.

March on Selma

1965 peaceful march attacked on 'Bloody Sunday' broadcast nationwide.

CORE

Congress of Racial Equality, founded by James Farmer.

SCLC

Southern Christian Leadership Conference, founded by King and other ministers.

Warren Court

Supreme Court under Chief Justice Earl Warren known for landmark decisions.

Brown v. Board of Education

Landmark case that outlawed school segregation.

Miranda v. Arizona

Established the right to remain silent in criminal proceedings.

Gideon v. Wainwright

Required legal defense for accused felons regardless of ability to pay.

Escobedo v. Illinois

Established the right to consult with an attorney during questioning.

Economic Opportunity Act of 1964

Initiated various programs to combat poverty.

Head Start

Provided free nursery schools for disadvantaged preschoolers.

VISTA

Volunteers in Service to America, assisting the urban and rural poor.

Medicare

Federal program for elderly healthcare.

Medicaid

Federal program for indigent healthcare.

Barry Goldwater

Opposed Great Society; considered father of modern conservative movement.

Gulf of Tonkin Resolution

Granted LBJ authority to escalate military operations in Vietnam.

Operation Rolling Thunder

Massive bombing campaign against North Vietnam in 1965.

Students for a Democratic Society

Founded in 1960 to protest the Vietnam War and consumer culture.

Free Speech Movement

Student protest at UC Berkeley against political activity bans.

TET Offensive

1968 coordinated attack by Vietcong during Vietnamese New Year.

Political Assassinations

MLK and Robert F. Kennedy assassinated in 1968.

Richard Daley

Chicago mayor during the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

What was the New Frontier?

The New Frontier was a proposed domestic program championed by the incoming Kennedy administration in 1961.

What were the goals of the New Frontier program?

The goals of the New Frontier jump-start the economy and trigger social progress.

Bay of Pigs (1961)

The Bay of Pigs was a failed CIA operation that deployed Cuban rebels to overthrow Fidel Castro's Communist regime.

What was the Berlin Wall?

The Berlin Wall was a wall constructed in 1961 by East German authorities.

How long was the Berlin Wall?

The Berlin Wall was twenty-seven miles long.

Why was the Berlin Wall constructed?

The Berlin Wall was constructed to stop the flow of East Germans fleeing to West Berlin.

What year did the Cuban missile crisis occur?

The Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in 1962

What sparked the Cuban missile crisis?

The Cuban Missile Crisis was sparked by the discovery of Soviet missile sites in Cuba

How long did the Cuban missile crisis last?

The Cuban Missile Crisis lasted thirteen days

What was significant about the Cuban missile crisis in terms of global conflict?

The Cuban Missile Crisis is significant as it was the closest the world has come to nuclear war since 1945

What does SNCC stand for?

SNCC stands for Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee

When was the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) formed?

SNCC was formed in 1960

What was the goal of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC)?

SNCC's main goal was intensifying the effort to end racial segregation.

Who were the Freedom Riders?

Freedom Riders were activists who traveled by bus through the South to test federal court rulings that banned segregation.

When did the Freedom Riders begin their activism?

Freedom Riders began their activism in 1961

What was the purpose of the Freedom Riders' bus trips?

The purpose of the Freedom Riders' bus trips was to test federal court rulings that banned segregation on buses and trains.

Nonviolent civil disobedience

The tactic of defying unjust laws through peaceful actions championed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

What year did the March on Washington take place?

The March on Washington took place in 1963

What was the March on Washington?

The March on Washington was a civil rights demonstration

Where did the March on Washington occur?

The March on Washington was the National Mall

Who gave the famous 'I Have a Dream' speech during the March on Washington?

Martin Luther King Jr gave the famous speech.

What was the Black Power movement?

The Black Power movement was a militant form of civil rights protest focused on urban communities in the North.

What did the Black Power movement emerge in response to?

The Black Power movement emerged in response to impatience with the nonviolent tactics of Martin Luther King Jr.

What is the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was legislation that outlawed discrimination in public accommodations and employment.

Who urged the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

President Lyndon B. Johnson urged the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

What was the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964?

The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 was legislation in President Johnson's War on Poverty.

What did the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 create?

The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 created the Office of Economic Opportunity.

What program aimed at low-income college students was established by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964?

What program aimed at low-income college students was the work-study financial-aid program.

What is Head Start?

Head Start is a program created by the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964.

Who coined the term 'Great Society'?

President Lyndon B. Johnson coined the term "Great Society"

In what year did Lyndon B. Johnson introduce the term 'Great Society'?

Lyndon B. Johnson introduced the term "Great Society" in 1965, during his State of the Union Address

What were the main focuses of the Great Society legislation?

The main focuses of the Great Society legislation were voting rights, poverty, disease, education, immigration and the environment

Medicare (1965)

Medicare is a health-care program designed to aid the elderly as part of President Johnson's Great Society initiative.

Medicaid (1965)

Medicaid is a health-care program designed to aid the disadvantaged as part of President Johnson's Great Society initiative.

What legislation abolished discriminatory quotas based upon immigrants' national origin?

Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965 abolished discriminatory quotas based upon immigrants' national origin

What did the Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965 promote?

The Immigration and Nationality Services Act of 1965 treated all nationalities and races equally.

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation ensuring that all Americans were able to vote; ended literacy tests and other means of restricting voting rights.

What year was the Tonkin Gulf Resolution passed?

The Tonkin Gulf Resolution was passed in 1964

What did the Tonkin Gulf Resolution grant the president?

The Tonkin Gulf Resolution granted unlimited authority to defend U.S. forces abroad

What event prompted the Tonkin Gulf Resolution?

An allegedly unprovoked attack on American warships off the coast of North Vietnam prompted the Tonkin Gulf Resolution

What was the Tet Offensive?

The Tet offensive was a surprise attack by Viet Cong guerrillas and the North Vietnamese army on U.S. and South Vietnamese forces.

In what year did the Tet Offensive occur?

The Tet offensive occurred in 1968

What was the impact of the Tet Offensive on American public opinion?

The Tet Offensive shocked the American public and led to widespread sentiment against the war.

What was the Chicago Democratic National Convention?

The Chicago Democratic National Convention presidential convention in 1968 where the Democratic Party nominated its presidential candidate.

What significant social issues were highlighted during the Chicago Democratic National Convention in 1968?

Social unrest over the Vietnam War and the civil rights movement were highlighted at the Chicago Democratic National Convention in 1968