U.S. History / Unit 9: Civil Rights and a Changing Nation
9.4 Kennedy, Johnson and the Great Society
Notes
- John F. Kennedy (1961 to 1963): called his program the New Frontier. He founded the Peace Corps and set the goal of landing on the moon.
- Bay of Pigs (1961): a failed CIA-backed invasion of Cuba by Cuban exiles.
- Cuban Missile Crisis (October 1962): the Soviets placed nuclear missiles in Cuba. Kennedy ordered a naval "quarantine" (blockade). After 13 tense days, the Soviets removed the missiles; the U.S. pledged not to invade Cuba and later quietly removed missiles from Turkey.
- Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas on November 22, 1963.
- Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) pushed through the Great Society and a "War on Poverty."
- Medicare (health insurance for the elderly) and Medicaid (for low-income people) began in 1965. Federal aid to education expanded.
- The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 ended the national-origins quotas of 1924.
Practice
The Cuban Missile Crisis is considered the moment when:
The 13-day standoff ended with the Soviets removing their missiles.
Which programs created by the Great Society provide health coverage for older Americans and low-income Americans?
Both were created in 1965 under LBJ.
The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965:
Immigration from Asia and Latin America grew sharply afterward.
Ready for more? Take the Unit 9 test.