1960's USA Domestic reform
Account For The Limits On Domestic Reform In The 1960'sThere are numerous reasons for the limitation of domestic reform throughout the 1960's, from Kennedy through Johnson to Nixon this essay will explore domestic reform in the United States in the 1960's.John Fitzgerald Kennedy became President elect in President in November 1960. His opponent Richard Milhouse Nixon was a much more experienced politician, however Kennedy's youthful vigour shone through in the first ever televised presidential debates. Nixon was a master of the old way and although a competent speaker, his on screen presentation made him look old, ill and very haggard. Kennedy's background, his war hero status and family financial input was very beneficial to his campaign and his proficient rhetoric shone through especially on areas like civil rights, on which he had been vocal in the electoral campaign to canvas the Black vote. Kennedy's use of the balanced ticket in selecting Lyndon Baines Johnson as his Vice President also gained him many votes. It was almost not enough and Kennedy was elected with a marginal mandate.Kennedy often used the phrase 'New Frontier' in campaign rhetoric. Once he was elected it became the broad term used to describe all
As far as Johnson was concerned he was given Black people more than any other President in US history and they had thrown it back in his face. His successor, Vice President Lyndon Johnson immediately set to work on domestic policy. During Kennedy's short time in the white house he attempted to pass numerous domestic reforms. The expectations of such a wide ranging programme were enormous, this was fuelled by the rhetoric used by Johnson himself and due to the US involvement in the Vietnam war it was impossible to pour so much money into domestic policy and fight a war at the same time. However as liberalism was reaching it's height the backlash was inevitable. The violence prompted a civil rights backlash but this was also due to that fact that the economic equality that Black people yearned for meant depriving white people of their previous dominance which was something they were unprepared to accept. Many doubted if he would ever pass such a bill due to a combination of his lack of experience and in the face of such a strong defiant congress. Kennedy was reluctant to oppose Southern democrats on the issue of civil rights and for much of his presidency ignored the rhetoric that got him elected. He exploited the death of Kennedy to pass his civil rights bill through congress in 1964, which effectively dismantled the Jim Crowe System and gave black people a much higher degree of legal equality. Johnson's 'War on Poverty' promised to eradicate the poor from the streets of the USA and bills poured through congress, including projects Head Start and Follow Through which aimed at promoting education pre and post schooling. It wasn't until the mid term elections when Kennedy spoke about a civil rights bill which he would only propose when he could pass it through congress. In 1968 Richard Milhouse Nixon stood again for the presidency and with his appeal to the silent majority and 'Peace with Honour' platform in Vietnam, gained the presidency. Johnson also passed another Civil Rights Act in 1965, the Voting Rights Act, this gave political equality to the Black population. Kennedy also passed a space and defence program. They even blocked a suggested tax cut of $13.
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Acceptance Essays
