Civil Rights Movement Flashcards
(166 cards)
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Class Notes
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4/9 - JFK
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Background
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Party: Democrat
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Religion: Catholic (First Catholic President)
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Military: WW2 war hero
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Elected: 1960 - Youngest elected President at the time
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Image: Youthful and hopeful - His era nicknamed Camelot (A reference to King Arthur’s idealistic kingdom
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1960 Presidential Election:
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Opponent: Richard Nixon (Republican)
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Kennedy was seen as an underdog due to:
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His youth and inexperienced
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Being Catholic (Many Americans were Protestant)
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First-ever televised presidential debate:
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TV Viewers: Thought JFK won—he appeared calm
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confident
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Radio Listeners: Thought Nixon won—focused more on content than appearance
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Result: TV performance helped Kennedy gain crucial support and win the election
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Domestic Policy - “The New Frontier”:
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Focus: Ambitious domestic reform programs—education
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civil rights
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Later continued by Lyndon B. Johnson as part of the “Great Society”
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Active Citizenship:
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Famous quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you
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ask what you can do for your country”
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Inspired a generation
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especially young Americans
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Space Race:
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Soviet Union launched Sputnik
the first satellite
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Also sent the first dog and first human into space
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Kennedy responded by setting the goal of landing a man on the moon (achieved in 1969)
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Peace Corps:
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Created by JFK as a peaceful alternative to war
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Sent American volunteers abroad to support education
health
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Aimed to counter the spread of Communism through goodwill
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Became popular and long-lasting—even survived events like the Cold War’s end and COVID-19
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Assassination of JFK (1963):
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Location: Dallas
Texas—on a political tour to gain support for reelection
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Event: Riding in an open limo during a parade
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Attack: First bullet struck both JFK (fatally) and Texas Governor John Connally (survived)
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Suspect: Lee Harvey Oswald (killed before trial by nightclub owner Jack Ruby)
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Conspiracies:
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Debate over whether there was a second shooter
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Questions about how precise the shots were
especially since the car was moving
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First bullet hit both Kennedy (died) and Texas Governor (recovered)
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See reading notes
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Impact: Kennedy’s death shocked the nation—especially young Americans who saw him as a symbol of hope and idealism
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4/10 - Johnson and his Great Society
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Background:
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Personal Motivation:
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Johnson grew up in poverty and taught at a poor school in Texas
shaping his strong commitment to fighting poverty
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Unlike Kennedy (who was wealthy)
Johnson had personal experience with hardship
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War on Poverty:
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Declared poverty as a national enemy
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Believed deeply in helping the poor—ruthless in pushing anti-poverty programs
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Poverty rate dropped from ~20% to ~13% during his presidency
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Economic and Social Programs:
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Job Corps: Trained young people for employment
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Medicare: Health insurance for people 65+
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Medicaid: Health insurance for the disabled and low-income individuals
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Food Stamps: Provided food aid—helped over 20 million people
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Student Grants: Expanded college aid; over 60% of undergrads receive federal aid today
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Head Start: Prepared low-income children for school success
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Environmental Reforms:
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Supported by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson
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Pushed for clean air and water laws (helped prevent disasters like rivers catching fire from pollution)
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Education and Media:
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Created PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) and other educational programs
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Immigration Reforms:
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Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965:
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Ended old quota system that favored Europeans
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Opened the door to Asian and Latin American immigrants
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Greatly diversified the U.S. population
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Civil Rights:
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Voting Rights Act (1965):
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Protected African Americans’ right to vote
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Helped increase Black political participation and representation
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Pros of the Great Society:
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Major Poverty Reduction
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Financial aid for college students
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Head Starts benefit for poor/disadvantages kids
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Medicare/Medicaid still widely used today
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Food Stamps fed millions
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Voting Rights Act expanded democracy (help African Americans gain political power)
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Cons/Criticism:
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Some called it the start of a “Welfare State”—worried it encouraged dependency
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New housing projects sometimes turned into crime-filled slums
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Murder and Crime rates rose in Urban areas
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Some argued that African Americans didn’t rise out of poverty fast enough
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Critics said poverty was already declining before Johnson took office
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Vietnam War:
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Johnson escalated U.S. involvement
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War spending took money away from domestic programs
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Even MLK Jr. criticized Johnson for prioritizing war over poverty
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Google Doc:
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Great Society Student Materials
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Reading Notes
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Popular Culture
Television
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Television:
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Widespread in the 1950s after WWII economic boom; by mid-decade
half of American homes had a TV
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Programming:
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Idealized suburban white family life: working dad
housewife
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Children’s shows like Mickey Mouse Club targeted baby boomers
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Unified national culture
reduced regional differences
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TV commercials became dominant by 1954; tobacco was the most advertised
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Edward R. Murrow (See It Now) and NBC anchors Brinkley & Huntley revolutionized TV news
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Coaxial cable and videotape allowed coast-to-coast broadcasts and pre-recorded footage
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Rock and Roll:
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Emerged from white musicians mixing country with African American blues (late 1940s)
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Rockabilly evolved into rock and roll
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Popular among teens for its themes of rebellion
love
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Alan Freed promoted it on radio and organized first rock concert
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Key artists: Bill Haley
Elvis Presley (popularized African American styles)
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Adults and religious leaders disapproved
calling it immoral and “Satan’s music”
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By late '50s
68% of radio music was rock and roll—fueled by youth consumerism
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The Beat Generation and CounterCulture:
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Writers/intellectuals rejected mainstream culture
criticized racism
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Centered in NYC’s Greenwich Village
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Key figures: Jack Kerouac (On the Road)
Allen Ginsberg (Howl)
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Celebrated African American culture and poverty; embraced alcohol and drugs
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Visual art: Abstract Expressionism (e.g.
Jackson Pollock
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Films like The Wild One
Blackboard Jungle
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Marginalized Groups in the 1950s:
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Homosexuality suppressed; Mattachine Society and Daughters of Bilitis formed underground support groups
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Alfred Kinsey revealed hidden truths about American sexuality
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Television ignored poverty and racism
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African Americans faced double poverty
segregation
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Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison highlighted white ignorance of the Black experience
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Operation Wetback deported Mexican Americans; Native Americans faced "Termination Policy" and forced relocation into cities with poor support
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Kennedy and the “Camelot” era:
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John F. Kennedy elected president in 1960 (youngest president ever elected)
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First televised debate gave Kennedy edge due to charisma (radio listeners thought Nixon won)
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Faced criticism for being Roman Catholic and liberal on civil rights
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Famous quote: “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country”
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Promoted poverty relief
space race
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Programs included food stamps
unemployment benefits
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Assassinated on Nov. 22
1963
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Warren Commission concluded Oswald acted alone
though many conspiracy theories exist
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Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society:
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Johnson succeeded JFK and pledged to carry out his goals—and more
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Great Society: A vision for equality and opportunity for all Americans
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Major Programs and Acts:
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Education:
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Elementary & Secondary Education Act: $1+ billion to schools for disadvantaged students
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Higher Education Act: Loans
scholarships
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Consumer and Environment:
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Labeling laws
food safety
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Arts and Media:
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National Endowment for the Arts and Humanities
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Public Broadcasting Act (1967): Created PBS and NPR
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Immigration:
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Immigration Act of 1965: Ended quotas favoring Europe
welcomed Asians/Latinos
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Poverty and Jobs:
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Economic Opportunity Act (EOA): Created Job Corps
Neighborhood Youth Corps
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Head Start: Early childhood education for low-income families
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Model Cities Program & Housing and Urban Development Act: Improved urban housing
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Support for Appalachia and Native American reservations (e.g.
Rough Rock School on Navajo land)
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Civil Rights Movement under Johson:
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Civil Rights Act (1964):
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Banned discrimination in public places
jobs
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Created Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
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24th Amendment (1964):
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Banned poll taxes
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Voting Rights Act (1965):
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Outlawed literacy tests and discriminatory voting practices
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Sparked by Bloody Sunday in Selma
Alabama
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Civil Rights Act (1968):
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Banned housing discrimination
