John F. Kennedy was elected president in 1960, becoming the youngest man and first Catholic elected to the office. His youth and optimism captivated many Americans. As president, he established the Peace Corps to provide humanitarian aid abroad. He committed the U.S. to landing on the moon to win the space race against the Soviet Union. However, the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and Cuban Missile Crisis were foreign policy setbacks for his administration. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 while visiting Dallas, Texas.

1. Ch. 23 The New Frontier
The Election of 1960
First time in the history 2 Presidential
candidates debate on Television.
John Kennedy Democrat Catholic Wealthy
Richard Nixon Republican Quaker Mid-class
http://youtu.be/zHGs4535W_o

2. One of the closest race in American
history

3. The Kennedy Mystique
• Despite the narrow victory, many Americans
were captivated by his youth and optimism.

9. “The torch has been passed to a new
generation”

10. “And so my fellow Americans, ask not
what your country can do for you, but
what you can do for your country”

11. The Peace Corps
• A program aimed at helping less developed
nations fight poverty. The Corps sent young
Americans to perform humanitarian services
in these countries. They would build roads, lay
sewer systems, teach English etc. Still active
today, the Corps remains one of Kennedy’s
most enduring legacies.

13. The Space Race
• The Russians not only put the first satellite in
orbit but also the put the first person to orbit
the earth.
• They were winning the space race. JFK was
worried about this so he committed the US to
land the first man on the moon.
• “We choose to go to the moon in this decade,
not because it is easy but because it is hard”.
• http://youtu.be/kwFvJog2dMw

14. The Bay of Pigs
• In 1959 Cuba became a communist country.
Just 90 miles from Florida. Almost
immediately Fidel Castro establishes ties with
Russia.

15. The Bay of Pigs
• The CIA trained and armed Cuban rebels to
invade Cuba and start an uprising against
Castro. On April 17, 1961, 1,400 armed Cuban
exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs. The invasion
was a disaster. Kennedy had called off the air
support to keep the US involvement a secret.
Within two days, Castro’s forces killed or
captured almost all the exiles. This made the
US looked weak and disorganized.

16. The Berlin Wall Goes Up
• http://youtu.be/QwOfphFsUwM
• Kennedy’s speech in Berlin
• http://youtu.be/GK907TwM7q0

17. The Cuban Missile Crisis
• In the Summer of 1962, the CIA learned that the
Soviets had placed long range missiles in Cuba—
capable of delivering missiles to the US.
• Kennedy ordered a naval blockade to stop the
Soviets from delivering more missiles and he
demanded that they dismantle existing missile
sties.
• After many secret negotiations, the Soviet Union
offered a deal—they would remove the missiles if
the US promised never to invade Cuba again.

18. The Death of the President
• On November 22, 1963, while Kennedy and
his wife were traveling in Dallas, Kennedy was
shot while riding in his motorcade.
• http://youtu.be/JbXI0WSlTGw

19. Lyndon Johnson