Chapter 28-1 /Chapter 28-2 Notes /
Chapter 28-3
Prepared for your enjoyment by Mr. Timothy Rhodes
Important Terms
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Missile Gap - Belief that the Soviet Union had more nuclear
weapons than the United States.
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Reapportionment - The way in which states draw up
political districts based on changes in population.
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Due process - The law may not treat individuals unfairly,
arbitrarily, or unreasonably, and that courts must follow proper
procedures and rules when trying cases.

New Frontier - A legislative agenda President Kennedy
created to increase aid to education, provide health insurance
to the elderly, create a Department of Urban Affairs, and help
migrant workers.
Kennedy Struggles with Congress
Congress is controlled by the Democrats but
they do not feel obligated to aide Kennedy (a
fellow Democrat) in his creations of the New
Frontier programs.
 Many felt they would be too expensive.
 It would make the Federal Government too
powerful (remember State’s Right argument?).

Congress Defeats Many of Kennedy’s
Programs
They defeated Health Care for Elderly
 They defeated the creation of the Department
of Urban Affairs.
 They defeated federal aid to education.
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Women’s Rights
 Presidential Commission on the Status of
Women, ending gender discrimination in
federal civil service, and the Equal Pay Act.
The Supreme Court

Earl Warren - The Republican governor of California
nominated by President Eisenhower to become Chief
Justice of the Supreme Court.
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Decisions of the Warren Court that protected civil
rights:
Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Baker v. Carr (1962)
Reynolds v. Sims (1964)
Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964)
Loving v. Virginia (1967)
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Important Court Cases
Reynolds v. Sims 1964
 Current apportionment system in most
states was unconstitutional.
 One man one vote– change electoral
districts to reflect this idea (shifted power
from rural areas to urban areas).
 Brown vs. Board of Education- 1954
 Segregation in public schools
unconstitutional.

Warren Court Decisions
Miranda v. Arizona: inform suspects of their
rights.
 Mapp v. Ohio: unlawfully seized evidence is
inadmissible in trial.
 Escobedo v. Illinois: Accused has a right to an
attorney during police questioning.
 Gideon v. Wainwright: suspects are entitled to
court appointed attorney if unable to afford
one.

Economic Policies of the Kennedy
Administration
A cut in taxes
 An increase in funds for defense and space
exploration
 An increase in the minimum wage
 Housing and Redevelopment Act

Miscellaneous
 Television played a more influential role in
American society.
Cuba
 After overthrowing Cuban dictator Fulgencio
Batista, Fidel Castro started ties with the Soviet
Union, instituted drastic land reforms, and
seized foreign-owned businesses, many of them
American.
 President Eisenhower authorized the CIA to
secretly train and arm Cuban exiles to invade
the island when he feared the Soviets would
use Cuba as a base to spread revolution
throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Cuba
John Kennedy approved the plan when he
became President. On April 17, 1961, about
1,400 armed Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of
Pigs on the south coast of Cuba, and the
invasion was a disaster!
 This action exposed an American plot to
overthrow a neighbor’s government, and the
outcome made the U.S. look weak and
disorganized.

Berlin Wall
President Kennedy met Soviet leader Nikita
Khrushchev to discuss how to stop the flood of
Germans pouring out of Communist East
Germany into West Berlin.
 Khrushchev demanded the Western powers
recognize East Germany and that the U.S.,
Great Britain, and France withdraw from
Berlin, which was in East Germany.

Berlin Wall
 President Kennedy refused this as he
reaffirmed the West’s commitment to West
Berlin, which made Khrushchev build a wall
through Berlin, blocking movement between
the Soviet sector and the rest of the city.
 Guards posted at the wall would shoot at
people trying to escape from the East. The
outcome led to 30 years of the Berlin Wall
standing as a symbol of the Cold War division
between the East and West.
Cuban Missile Crisis
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American intelligence agencies learned that Soviet
technicians and equipment arrived in Cuba and that
military construction was in progress.
On October 22, 1962, Kennedy announced on
television American spy planes had taken aerial
photographs showing the Soviet Union placing longrange missiles in Cuba.
President Kennedy ordered a naval blockade to stop
the Soviets from delivering more missiles, demanded
they dismantle existing missile sites, and warned if any
weapons were launched against the U.S., he would
respond fully against the Soviet Union.
Neither Leader Wanted a Nuclear War
Secret negotiations occur and the Soviets
removed the missiles from Cuba and the USA
promised not to invade Cuba.
 In addition, secretly, the U.S. promised that
they would remove missiles from
Turkey.

Impact of Cuban Missile Crisis
U.S. and the Soviet Union take the first step
towards mutual arms reduction since the
beginning of the Cold War.
 However, Khrushchev lost power and the
USSR began an increase in their military
weaponry.
 The USA would also have a military build up in
the early 1980’s. (ARMS RACE)

Johnson Takes the Reins
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Lyndon Johnson took office during what seemed like a
prosperous time for the United States. In reality, however,
away from the nation’s affluent suburbs were some 50
million poor. Kennedy and Johnson made the elimination
of poverty a major policy goal.

Johnson differed from Kennedy’s elegant society image.
Johnson, a Texan, spoke directly and roughly at times. He
sought ways to find consensus, or general agreement.
His ability to build coalitions made him one of the most
effective and powerful leaders in Senate history.
Johnson Takes the Reins
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Johnson declared that his administration was waging an
unconditional war on poverty in America. By the
summer of 1964, Congress had created the Office of
Economic Opportunity (OEO), which focused on creating
jobs and fighting poverty.

The election of 1964 had Johnson running against
Republican candidate Barry Goldwater. Americans were
not ready for Goldwater’s aggressive message, and
Johnson won in a landslide.
The Great Society
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Johnson promised a Great Society during his campaign.
It was the vision of a more perfect, more equitable
society.
Between 1965 and 1968, over 60 programs were passed,
including Medicare and Medicaid. Medicare was a
health insurance program for the elderly funded through
Social Security. Medicaid financed health care for those
on welfare or living below the poverty line.
Johnson’s interest in education led to the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 and to the preschool
program, Project Head Start, which was administered to
disadvantaged children.
The Great Society
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Johnson urged Congress to act on legislation dealing with
the deterioration of inner cities. Congress responded
with the creation of the Department of Housing and
Urban Development in 1965. Its first secretary, Robert
Weaver, was the first African American to serve in a
cabinet. “Model Cities,” a broad-based program with
matching funds from local and state agencies, supported
programs in the areas of transportation, health care,
housing, and policing.
The Great Society
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The Immigration Reform Act of 1965 played a key role in
changing the composition of the American population. It
kept a strict limit on the number of immigrants admitted
to the United States each year. It also eliminated the
national origins system, which gave preference to
northern European immigrants. Immigrants arrived in the
U.S. from all parts of Europe and from Asia and Africa.
Legacy of the Great Society
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The impact of the Great Society was felt by all aspects of
American life and improved many lives.

Some Americans opposed the massive growth of federal
funds and criticized the Great Society for intruding too
much in their lives.

There is a continued debate over the success of the
Great Society. It did result in many Americans asking
questions, questions Americans continue to ask today.
Key Points
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1. What strongly influenced the 1960 presidential
election?
2. What was Kennedy’s legislative agenda? Give examples.
Was it successful? Why or Why Not?
3. What did Kennedy accomplish in regards to women’s
rights?
4. What effect did the court case Reynolds v. Sims have on
political power?
5. What was Kennedy’s “flexible response” plan?
6. Why did Kennedy support additional spending for
Defense and the Space Race? What did he hope to
accomplish?
More Key Points
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7. Why were potential voters concerned with Kennedy’s
religion? What did he do to soothe their concerns?
8. To pay for the programs that Kennedy wanted to
create he believed in what?
How would he avoid inflation and encourage people to
spend more money?
9. What did the principle of “one man, one vote” entail?
10. How did President Johnson hope to pay for the new
programs of the Great Society?
11. Reapportionment gave more political power to which
group?
More Key Points
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12. What is due process? Which Amendment guarantees
due process?
13. What was the intent of the Office of Economic
Opportunity?
14. What was the agreement that ended the Cuban
Missile Crisis?
15. Why was the Bay of Pigs an embarrassment to the
U.S.A.?
16. Why was the construction of the Berlin Wall a symbol
of the Cold War?
17. What famous line came from Kennedy’s inauguration
speech that symbolized optimism for the future?
More Key Points
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What tactics of President Johnson’s became known as the
Johnson Treatment?
What were some of Johnson’s programs within his Great
Society campaign?
What remains today of the Great Society?