Kennedy – Johnson Study Guide

Terms:

  1. Mandate – support for legislation by the people
  2. Medicare – Health care assistance for the elderly
  3. Medicaid – Health care assistance for the poor
  4. Apportionment– redistributing voting districts based on population; electoral districts had to be redrawn based on “one person, one votes” (Baker v. Carr)
  5. New Frontier – Kennedy’s program of legislation
  6. Great Society – Johnson’s program of legislation…health care legislation

People:

  1. Earl Warren – Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, headed the Warren Commission investigation into the Kennedy assassination
  2. Lee Harvey Oswald – Warren commission declared him the lone assassin of President Kennedy
  3. John Connally- Texas Governor wounded during the assassination of President Kennedy

Identification:

  1. Kennedy’s campaign promises – Get America moving again, cut taxes, provide aid to the poor, promote the space program
  2. Election of 1960 results – Kennedy won by a slim margin
  3. NASA Goal – landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade
  4. Warren Commission findings – assassination was the work of a lone assassin
  5. Election of 1964 results – LBJ won by a landslide
  6. The Great Society goals – health care legislation, won passage of several New Frontier goals and added to them, aid to public education, medical care for the elderly, and elimination of poverty
  7. Supreme Court decisions – focused on protecting the constitutional rights of citizens accused of crimes, evidence sized illegally could not be used in a trial,
  8. Critics of Great Society – complained that it gave the federal government too much authority
  9. Soviet response to military buildups – Soviets began constructing the Berlin Wall to keep East Germans from fleeing to the West
  10. Cuban Missiles Crisis results – the Soviets removed their missiles from Cuba, brought the U.S. and Soviet Union to the brink of nuclear war
  11. Alliance for Progress–discouraged the spread of communism
  12. Economy of 1960s – the economy was sluggish with low GNP growth,
  13. Kennedy’s domestic policy – he rarely succeeded in pushing legislation through Congress
  14. Effects of Johnson’s tax-cut bill- the GNP rose steadily
  15. Immigration Act of 1965 – eliminated quotas restricting immigration from certain countries
  16. Bay of Pigs Invasion-U.S. supported the invasion by attempting to destroy Cuba’s air power
  17. Miranda rule – stated that suspects must be informed on their rights
  18. Volunteers in Service to America (VISTA)–prompted economic development

Other topics:

  1. Peace Corps – task to raise the standard of living in less developed countries
  2. Dominican Republic – 1965 Pres. Johnson sent the marines to protect American citizens
  3. 1960s Presidential Debate – Kennedy appeared more polished than Nixon
  4. Military spending – increased by Kennedy due to fear the Soviet Union planned to take over Europe
  5. 1960s Foreign Policy – stop the spread of communism
  6. Obstacles to Kennedy Presidency – Age, Catholic
  7. President Johnson – had a strong mandate due to his opponents radical views, famed for accomplishing political goals
  8. Latin America – Kennedy believed he could encourage stability in Latin America by promoting economic development

Cuban Missile Crisis Open Response (30 points)

The Cuban Missile Crisis was a crucial time in U.S. history. Never have any two nations been so close to the brink of nuclear war. Only through careful planning and negotiations by able, clear thinking leaders was disaster averted.

  1. Describe the Cuban Missile Crisis in detail.
  2. How does it make you feel to know that in 1962 the world came so close to experiencing a nuclear war?
  3. Which side, the United States or the Soviet Union, do you think was most at fault for bringing about the crisis? For ending the crisis? Explain.
  4. What lessons can be learned from the Cuban Missile Crisis? How can we apply this knowledge to the nuclear situations evolving in the world today?