Kennedy’s New
Frontier
Kennedy’s Domestic Policy
Kennedy had many priorities and crisis to
handle at home. One of the most important
issues for him was the improvement of life
for citizens around the United States.
We talked about how he was a key figure in
the Civil Rights Movement. Today we will be
discussing how he brought about other
changes in an attempt to bring more equality
to the American people.
Kennedy’s Early Years
3:10-4:31
Kennedy’s New Frontier
Kennedy promised that his
administration would bring
America to a New Frontier which
expanded economic opportunity,
health care, and civil rights.
He also called for the expansion of
the space program.
Kennedy’s Economic Policy Changes
Some of Kennedy’s proposals were able to make it through
the relatively conservative Congress including:
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Extension of Social Security benefits
Improving the welfare system
Increasing the minimum wage
Passing the first Equal Pay Act, a vital step towards fair
employment
Kennedy’s Economic Policy Changes
In an effort to improve the weak
economy he had inherited,
Kennedy accepted the idea of
deficit spending by John Maynard
Keynes to stimulate the economy.
Deficit spending is when the
government spends more money
than it receives from tax revenue.
Kennedy and Civil Rights
Early in his administration, John F.
Kennedy was hesitant to get involved in
civil rights out of fear of losing support
of conservatives in Congress and
lessening his power as President. Soon,
he came to the realization that African
Americans would need the help of the
federal government. He began to fund
efforts to help with school desegregation
and called for other reforms.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and
President Kennedy’s brother,
Attorney General Robert Kennedy
Kennedy’s Commitment to the Space Race
Discuss the critical
Thinking Questions
on page 626 in the
text book.
Assassination of President Kennedy