Sixties John F Kennedy elected President in 1960

Sixties

John F. Kennedy - elected President in 1960, brought a new spirit of youthful vigor to the White House. Supported civil rights, the space program, and ending the threat of communism. Was assassinated in 1963 in Dallas, Texas.

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John Glenn – became the first American to orbit the Earth, aboard Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, on the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, circling the globe three times during a flight lasting 4 hours, 55 minutes, and 23 seconds. This made Glenn the third American in space and the fifth human being in space, leading the way to putting the first man on the moon in 1969.

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Bay of Pigs Invasion – President Eisenhower approved this plan to overthrow communist leader Fidel Castro in Cuba. The invasion failed because President Kennedy refused to provide needed air support for the mission for fear of connecting the US to the invasion.

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Cuban Missile Crisis - Castro and the Soviets attempted to install nuclear weapons on the island of Cuba. US spy planes took pictures of Cubans building missile silos and President Kennedy responded with a blockade of Cuba. The world was on the brink of nuclear when a compromise was reached not to invade Cuba in return for missiles being removed.

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Lyndon B. Johnson - became President after the assassination of Kennedy. Supported civil rights legislation and his Great Society programs helped to eliminate poverty, and created Medicare. Was president during most of the Vietnam War.

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Great Society - Lyndon B. Johnson’s domestic policy program focusing on civil rights, fighting poverty, providing medical care, and giving federal funds to cities. Many Americans remained impoverish despite LBJ’s efforts.

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Barry Goldwater - Senator from Arizona who ran for President in 1964 and lost to Lyndon B. Johnson, he was known for his revival of extreme conservative political ideology. He was very critical of Johnson’s Great Society programs for extending the reach of government too far into the lives of Americans.

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Anti-War Movement- many Americans, mostly young, protested the US involvement in the Vietnam War. Millions of young people held ant-war rallies, burnt draft cards, held demonstrations some becoming violent including the killing of four and injuring 9 students at Kent State University.

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Feminist Movement – During the 60’s women sought greater socio-economic opportunities and equal treatment in society and in the equal pay in the workplace

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Betty Friedan – Feminist who wrote “ The Feminine Mystique” which challenged the belief that middle-class, educated women should be content as traditional suburban housewives, cooking cleaning and taking care of the families.

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Title IX-landmark in women’s rights in education. Title IX bans sex discrimination in educational institutions, promotes gender equality by guaranteeing girls in school the opportunities as boys.

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Black Power Movement - militant African. American movement which believed African-Americans should rely on themselves and advocated that violence may be necessary to achieve equality. Black Panthers demanded equal opportunities and reparations for past oppression. Malcolm X became a spokesperson and advocate for this type of philosophy.

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Chicano Movement- like African. Americans, Mexican-Americans had often faced discrimination, racism and exploitation in the US. This movement focused on achieving equality in the work place and voting rights.

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Cesar Chavez – labor leader helped to organize protests, boycotts, and demonstrations for the rights of migrant workers, most of whom were Mexican. American. Dolores Huerta and Hector Garcia also emerge as leaders in the movement.

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Vietnam War – the country of Vietnam was divided North communist, South democracy supported by the West. In an attempt to unify the country the North Vietcong launched a guerilla war which eventually led to the US sending ground troops and staying until 1975.

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Domino Theory – if South Vietnam fell to communism, neighboring Southeast Asian countries would also fall to communism like a row of Dominos. President Kennedy first responded to a request for help by sending military aid and advisers

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Gulf of Tonkin Resolution (1964) President Johnson announced that the Vietcong had attacked US ships in the Gulf of Tonkin, Congress voted to give Pres. Johnson full military powers to stop North Vietnamese aggression.

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Vietnamization- President Nixon agreed to withdraw American soldiers gradually as peace talks were conducted in Paris. Nixon negotiated a cease fire and Vietnam released American prisoners of war.

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Roy Benavidez-first awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism in the Vietnam War. In 1981 President Ronald Reagan awarded him the Congressional Medal of Honor after the full details of his courage became known.

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Tet Offensive – Vietcong launched a massive offensive throughout South Vietnam including the capital of South Vietnam, Saigon, on the Chinese New Year. This became a turning point in the war and indicating to Americans that victory was far away.

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Credibility Gap - for the first time in history the public could watch the destructiveness of the war on TV, while President Johnson claimed that the US was winning. This created mistrust in government officials and contributed to the discontent of many Americans, mostly young.

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“Silent Majority” – President Nixon claimed that the Anti-war movement was exaggerated by the media and that a majority of Americans still supported the war effort but remained silent.

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Fall of Saigon – North Vietnamese overwhelmed the South Vietnamese army after the US withdraw it’s troops and in 1975 captured the capital city and reunited the country under one communist flag.

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Beat Generation – in the 1950’s the group rebelled against the conformity of their era. This movement began with a small group of writers in New York City and later moved to San Francisco. Later in the 60’s this movement will be known as the Hippy Movement

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