QOD 56 Why do you think President Kennedy

QOD 5/6 • Why do you think President Kennedy called his domestic program the “New Frontier”?

Kennedy’s New Frontier

New Frontier • Name of Kennedy’s domestic program • Why given this name? • Wanted to improve: – Economy – Education – Healthcare – Civil Rights -Start Space program

Poverty • After reading book, The Other America, Kennedy wanted to focus on poverty in USA

Poverty • To help with poverty, he: – Increased minimum wage – Extended Social Security benefits – Improved the welfare system – Helped to pass the Equal Pay Act (1963), equal pay for equal work between men and women

Fixing the Economy • Wanted to fix American’s sluggish economy of high unemployment of early 60 s: – Tax credits to businesses – Increased military spending = new jobs – Deficit spending- gov’t borrows money to spend more than receives in taxes to boost economy - leads to tax cuts for lower and middle classes (put $ in people’s pockets)

Civil Rights • Pursued civil rights cautiously • 1963 (violence in Birmingham) influenced Kennedy to pursue Civil Rights Bill • Passed in 1964 by LBJ after Kennedy’s assassination

Space Race • Race between Soviets and USA to land on the moon • Kennedy wanted US to land a man on the moon by 1970 • July, 1969, Neil Armstrong became the first American astronaut to step on the moon

Kennedy Assassinated • November, 1963 - Traveled to Dallas to campaign for ’ 64 election • Killed by Lee Harvey Oswald • Warren Commission: Did Oswald work alone? Official investigation found that Oswald was the “lone killer”