theme 1 - Kennedy's New Frontier Flashcards
(24 cards)
why was there a need for social welfare in 1960?
US was going through an economic recession
unemployment had risen to 6.5%
inflation had increased to 3.5%
elderly Americans on low income lacked healthcare provision
evidence of progress for workers
May 1961: Kennedy increased minimum wage for low-paid workers from $1 an hour to $1.25
Area Development Act of 1961
Area Development Act of 1961
provided $394 million over 4 years to aid more deprived areas, such as Appalachia
around 26,000 new jobs were created
lack of progress for workers
350,000 poorly paid, unskilled workers were excluded from the pay rise
evidence of progress for women
passed the 1963 Equal Pay Act - aimed to get women the same pay as men
lack of progress for women
Kennedy was the first President since Hoover (1929-33) to not have women in his cabinet
the Equal Pay Act (1963) didn’t cover all woman and had no enforcement powers
evidence of progress for the elderly
Kennedy planned to raise social security taxes by 0.25% to help pay for medicare for the poor and elderly
lack of progress for the elderly
Wilbur Mills, a southern democrat and opposer of social security healthcare ‘killed off’ the measure to raise social security taxes
evidence of progress for education
1962 Development and Training Act
used executive orders to increase school lunch and milk programmes for the poor - 700,000 a day could get free school lunch and milk
1963 Higher Education Facilities Act
1962 Development and Training Act
provided job training for the poorly educated
1963 Higher Education Facilities Act
gave $145 million grants for graduate schools in science, languages, and engineering
lack of progress for education
1961: applied for $2.3 billion over 3 years to fund the construction of new schools and increase teachers salaries, but the proposal was defeated by the House of Representatives
1962 Trade Expansion Act
allowed tariffs to be cut between the US and the European community
gave Kennedy the power to cut tariffs up to 50% for countries that would accept US goods
evidence of progress for minorities
March 1961: Kennedy created the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity (CEEO) to allocate a proportion of federal jobs to black Americans
lack of progress for minorities
a civil rights bill to end the Jim Crow laws in the South was stuck in Congress at the time of Kennedy’s death
1961: black unemployment was twice as high as the level of white unemployment
environmentalism
the environmental impact of industrialisation was becoming a national issue
pollution, environmental degradation, and destruction of wildlife habits were attracting national attention
Rachel Carson’s ‘Silent Spring’ (1962)
awakened a new environmental consciousness
set the stage for the establishment of the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, which regulated the use of pesticides
1963 Clean Air Act
limited pollution emissions from cars and factories
first federal legislation regarding air pollution control
established a federal program with the US Public Health Service and authorised research into techniques for monitoring and controlling air pollution
Expansion of the National Park Service
1961: Kennedy appointed Stewart Udall as Secretary of the Interior
Udall made major improvements to the Service:
- acquired 3.85 million acres of land
- added 6 national monuments, 9 national recreation areas, 20 historic sites, 50 wildlife refuges, and 8 national seashores
- laid the groundwork for 5 national parks
Stewart Udall’s ‘The Quiet Crisis’ (1963)
wanted of the dangers of pollution and the threats to the USA’s natural resources
what was the Peace Corps
created by Kennedy in March 1961
sent American men and women to developing countries
Kennedy saw it as one of his greater creations
how successful was the Peace Corps?
in the first 2 years, 5000 volunteers helped carry American economic and technical aid to 46 countries
has been a permanent fixture of Demonratic and Republican administrations ever since
The Space Programme
1957: began when the USSR successfully launched the first satellite into outer space (Sputnik)
1958: Eisenhower created NASA to coordinate American efforts in space
1961: USSR launched the first man into space, which was huge propaganda for the superiority of the Soviet Union
1961: JFK requested $7-9 billion for US space programme one the next 5 years
1969: USA was the First Nation to land a man on the moon, and won the space race - important to Kennedy’s legacy
why was Kennedy so invested in the Space Race?
USA was being humiliated in the Cold War
1957: satellite launch failure
1961: US-supported invasion of Cuba failed
Kennedy needed success to restore faith in the New Frontier spirit, and believed that being the first to land a man on the moon would demonstrate American superiority.
