John F. Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963 at the young age of 46; he came from a wealthy Massachusetts family and served heroically in World War II before entering politics; as President, Kennedy faced major challenges like the Cuban Missile Crisis and started initiatives like the Peace Corps as part of his vision for a "New Frontier" in America.

2. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

3. Profile: John F. Kennedy, President 1961-63 Born 1917 into wealthy Mass. Family of Irish decent Catholic…”I do not speak to my church on public matters—and the church does not speak for me” JFK’s father was advisor to FDR, ambassador to (E) and head of the SEC While @ Harvard, wrote best-seller analyzing how (E), in his view, allowed (G) to start WWII WWII: Commanded torpedo boat; shipwrecked, wounded, hero, decorated for bravery 1947: Democratic congressman; Senator in 1952 Brother Robert was assassinated in 1968 as he was running for the Presidency…other brother Ted is a senator who announced he has cancer Bob Dylan’s Blowin’ in the Wind

4. Profile Continued…. 1953: wrote award-winning book, Profiles in Courage , about politicians who risked careers to stand for their beliefs….some question whether he wrote it… 1960: Narrowly defeated Richard Nixon for President, w/ LBJ as VP; sworn in January 1961 Kennedy had a few health issues including Addison’s disease and a bad back Bay of Pigs, Berlin Crisis, Cuban Missile Crisis 22 November 1963: Assassinated Happy birthday--Marilyn

5. Military Background Rejected by the Army, but allowed in by the Navy Received Purple Heart for towing a wounded man to safety after his boat was rammed by a Japanese destroyer Purple Heart in WWII, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal and WWII Victory Medal Honorably Discharged in 1945 His military record was popularized…. “ It was involuntary, they sank my boat”

6. The ‘Camelot’ Factor JFK’s style was a big change for USA Young, good looking, charming Wife, Jackie, was glamorous celebrity Jackie filled White House w/ fine art & had parties & concerts w/ very best performers Spent a lot of time w/ celebrities like Frank Sinatra & Marilyn Monroe (ah-hmmm …) Behind the scenes, not a happy family JFK regularly unfaithful Had affairs w/ Monroe & mafia boss’s gal Did mafia blackmail JFK into not pursuing investigations into organized crime? Frank Sinatra, Old Devil Moon

7. 1960s: Time of crisis Civil Rights Movement Women’s Movement Student Movement What were the presidents doing? Protests only part of problem Cold War Vietnam Economy During his Presidency..(wow, what a list) Cuban Missile Crisis Bay of Pigs Berlin Wall Space Race Civil Rights (see above) Vietnam… Barry McGuire’s Eve of Destruction

8. JFK & the New Frontier JFK one of the great ‘what ifs’ of history Narrowly defeated Nixon in 1960…100+ thousand popular votes Nixon got food poisoning during pre-election speeches and looked very meek…..maybe lost him the election Youngest president ever Emphasized youth & idealism Talked of USA being on edge of ‘New Frontier’ Wanted USA to be better, & carry ideals around world Inauguration speech, ‘… ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.’ Asked nations of the world to fight against ‘the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.’ Would he have achieved these aims? 1960’s #6 hit, Let’s Go, Let’s Go, Let’s Go

9. What was the ‘New Frontier’? More idea than program Funding for education, housing, medical care for the elderly…. JFK needed vision to unite Americans Wanted to build belief that USA was on the verge of something new and exciting Controversial idea Social reforms to help poor Americans Sought equal civil rights to black Americans ‘ New Frontier’ talk was designed to smooth over resistance to integration Peace Corps Part of ‘New Frontier’ Sent young American volunteers to poor countries to work as doctors, teachers, technical experts, etc. Greatly appealed to idealistic youth Fifth Dimensions’ Age of Aquarius

10. The ‘Brains Trust’ JFK seemed a breath of fresh air Gathered brightest young minds to himself Advisors became known as the ‘Brains Trust’ Best example was Robert McNamara Most were new to gov’t, so JFK thought they could come up w/ new ideas for old problems Politicians secretly worried about ‘Trust’ What did these whiz-kids know about politics? LBJ, VP, one of the most concerned An LBJ advisor to LBJ: ‘They may be every bit as intelligent as you say but I’d feel a whole lot better about them if just one of them had run for sheriff once.’ Robert McNamara McGeorge Bundy Dean Rusk Oingo Boingo’s Weird Science

11. Civil Rights Aim: Achieve equality for black Americans Sept 1962: Major speech on national TV committing himself to cause of civil rights Made high-level gov’t appointments of black Americans Stood up to southern governors to protect 'freedom riders’ Oct 1962: Sent 23,000 federal troops to ensure one black student, James Meredith, could study @ U Mississippi But … Frustrated civil rights campaigners who felt he was not doing enough nor moving quickly enough Worried congressmen from southern states who said he was going too fast, and blocked much of his legislation Kansas, Dust in the Wind

12. Economy Aim: Keep US economy strongest in the world Cut income taxes to give people more money to spend Gave grants to companies for technology & training Spent $900 million on job-creation programs Increased defense spending; 1 in 4 workers in Seattle & San Diego worked in defense industry Massively increased spending on space technology Challenged America to put man on the moon in 1960s Economy grew quickly; great if you already had a job! But … Tech didn’t help workers in traditional industries; in fact, increased technology meant fewer workers needed Black unemployment 2x that of whites Corporations made big profits but $$$ reached few workers Critics said boom was caused by gov’t spending … what happens when gov’t has to cut back spending? Pink Floyd, Money

13. Poverty Aim: Tackle deprivation & ensure poor Americans had opportunity to help themselves Increased minimum wage Area Redevelopment Act gave poor communities $$$ to start new businesses & build infrastructure Housing Act gave money to fix homes & clear slums Social Security Act increased $$$ going to elderly, unemployed Manpower Training & Development Act retrained unemployed But … Minimum wage only helped people already employed Housing loans didn’t help poorest, as they couldn’t qualify for a loan Slum clearance led to housing shortages in inner cities Many poor southern blacks moved to northern cities, finding only poverty and racial tension (Chicago, Detroit) Mary Chapin Carpenter’s I Am a Town

14. The Nation Mourns 22 November, 1963 JFK assassinated in Dallas, Texas Shocked America & the world He had accomplished only a small part of what he set out to do Would Lyndon Johnson pick up the torch? US cartoon dated 23 November, 1963. The statue of the most celebrated US president, Abraham Lincoln, weeps for the death of John F. Kennedy

15. Focus Task: Filling in the blanks Working in pairs, read over your notes. Choose five facts that you both agree are most deserving to be included in JFK’s profile. Be prepared to defend your choices by each of you writing at least twenty words explaining each of the choices (100 words total per student)