The 1960s Flashcards
(31 cards)
What did US do to fight communist presence in Cuba?
- US trained cuban rebels
What was the U-2 Incident, 1960?
US pilot flew over Russia and was shot down
- Pilot was supposed to kill himself and destroy the plane (he didn’t)
- Nikita Khrushchev confronts US over caught pilot
Who was involved in the Election of 1960?
- Nixon Vs Kennedy
How was the relationship between Nixon and JFK?
JFK and Nixon are friends in private life; both had served in Senate
- Both hate liberals
- Both are moderate
What were some of the unique circumstances of the JFK/Nixon debates?
Probably decided election
- First time debates are televised (radio up to that point)
- 70 million watch debate
- Debated on 1) domestic issues 2) foreign issues and 3) Cuba
- Nixon had been in the hospital after injuring his leg; lost some weight and didn’t
fit his suit as well
- Public opinion was decisive depending on how the debate was experienced
(radio vs tv)
- JFK wins by .2%
What characterized JFK’s presidency?
Youngest President in history
- Brings a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and style
What was The New Frontier (domestic)?
Divided into domestic and international
- Domestic:
- Boost economy
- Provide for national defense
- Boost space program
- Controlled monopoly prices
- Raised minimum wage
- Domestic failure:
- Race relations
What was The New Frontier (international )?
Increase money and aid
- Creates peace corps (sends Americans to 3rd world countries)
- Passively fighting communism
- Creates Alliance for Progress (for latin american countries; meant to helps with
education and health)
- Increased troop presence across the world
- Partial Test Ban Treaty
- Bans certain amount of testing with nuclear weaponry
- Bans atmospheric testing
Describe the space program under JFK
Sets goal of putting man on the moon by 1970
- Gives more money to NASA
- Man on the moon by 1969
Describe the Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962
Cubans decide to push Kennedy
- Soviets put missiles in Cuba
- Didn’t need to be that close; was a power play
JFK blockades Cuba
- Gives ultimatum to Soviets: remove missiles or else
- Soviets agree to JFK terms, but on condition that US removes missiles from Turkey (US
agrees)
What was the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty?
Bans all testing of nukes above ground
- Ocean testing is ok
- US starts testing at Bikini Islands
- Spongebob is from here
Where and how was JFK assassinated?
- Dallas
- JFK dies instantly
- Killed by Lee Harvey Oswald
- LHO says he’s a “patsy” and will explain everything in open court
- Jack Ruby kills LHO on way to courthouse
- Ruby doesn’t give reason and quickly pleads guilty
What were some key events of the Civil Rights Movement?
Sit-ins
Freedom Rides
University Violence
March on Washington
What were sit-ins?
- Blacks would go to segregated areas like restaurants and theaters and demanding
service - First was at a diner counter in Greensboro
- These were peaceful/non-violent protests
- Advocated by MLK Jr
- Exercises free speech right
What were the freedom rides?
Demanded desegregation at bus stations (and on buses)
- Were sometimes met with violence
- Event in Anniston
- Protesters follow bus and slash tires
- Followed the bus until it broke down, protesters set bus on fire and held door
closed
- Undercover FBI agent pulled out a gun and told them to release the door
- Freedom riders escaped from bus, but were badly beaten (FBI agent too)
- Whites supporting riders were targeted for being race traitors
What happened at U of Mississippi?
U of Mississippi was first to integrate in 1962
- First student to enroll was James Meredith
- Thousands hear of his enrollment and show up with weapons to intimidate Meredith
- Meredith was shot, but still went to class
- Riots broke out and 2 people were killed
- Governor of Alabama George Wallace is against integration in his own state
- “Stand in the schoolhouse door”
- Gives speech about importance of segregation
- (he did move when fed marshalls showed up)
What was the March on Washington?
“Martin Luther King’s March on Washington for jobs and…something else”
- MLK gave famous speech
- Ask for brown vs board (from 1953) to be observed
- Goals:
- Meaningful civil rights legislation
- Protection from police brutality
- 2 dollar minimum wage
- Self-government for Washington DC (Congress makes rules for DC)
- 250,000 people marched
- Line “free at last, free at last” refers to all people once we move past racism
- March is considered a huge success
Describe LBJ’s Great Society
Was VP who succeeded JFK - Didn’t like each other - Uses Kennedy as a Martyr to get legislation passed - Used slogan “let us continue” even though nothing he wanted to do was a continuation of Kennedy’s plans - Johnson Treatment - Pulled out his dick a lot - Met with people while he was peeing
Describe the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
No more discrimination based on racial, ethnic, national, religious minorities, and women
in all public schools workplaces, and accommodations
- Creates office of economic opportunity (enforced employment side of Civil Rights Act)
- Bill sounds great, but it was 2,000 pages long
- Opponents (not all racists) said this could bring back bussing (black kids would have to
go to schools outside of their district in order to meet quotas)
- amendments added to counteract this
- Despite this, bussing implemented in some counties 2 years later
- Both and whites are bussed around to meet quotas
- Leads to mass migration of people out of certain districts
- Suburbs!
- Known as “white flight”
- Not really racially-motivated, all who had means moved, even blacks (but
most who had wealth were white)
- In TX, ISDs were “independent” because they didn’t have to abide by
bussing rules
- Leads to collapse of inner city
- FYI, people self-segregate, but do so based on class first (then race)
- People hesitate to talk about negative social outcomes of Civil Rights Act
What was the Economic Opportunity Act?
“War on Poverty” says LBJ
- LBJ thought the govt could spend people out of poverty
- Job Corps
- Only one out of 20 some-odd programs that wasn’t terrible
- Aimed to trained young adults and prepare them for (usually trade-oriented) jobs
- Required participants to have clean record
- Kind of worked
Who faced off in the election of 1964?
LBJ vs Barry Goldwater
What characterized election of 1964?
Goldwater was total opposite of LBJ; wanted to roll back all LJB programs, even civil
rights act
- LBJ wins easily
- This leads to the rise of Reagan
How did Reagan get into political spotlight?
Gives speech at RNC and claims he didn’t leave Dem party, they left him
- Speech is cordial; refers to “democratic friends”
- Named “the great communicator”
- Becomes governor of CA
Describe the Voting Rights Act of 1965
Govt looks into areas with low voter turnout and encourages people to vote
- The LAST civil rights act of the era
