In your initial post, you must discuss the following material. Include examples
ID: 435703 • Letter: I
Question
In your initial post, you must discuss the following material. Include examples from the book to support your conclusions. These examples must include quotations, as well as page numbers from the text. Your initial post must be a minimum of 3 paragraphs, each 5-7 sentences in length. You will be graded down with insufficient evidence from the text in your discussion.
Discuss John F. Kennedy's transformation concerning the issue of civil rights during his presidency.
Assess the achievements and failures of John F. Kennedy's foreign policy.
Discuss the landmark legislation of Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" and what impact it had on the future of the United States.
Discuss the significance of the year 1968. Include both domestic and foreign issues in your class discussion.
Explanation / Answer
Answer to the first question:
The Supreme Court of USA in 1954, ruled that the segregation of students on the basis of race and color in schools, was unconstitutional, but many southern states argued that this decision violated their right to manage the public system. This lead to delay in implementation of Court's Order to stop segregation in schools..This sharply triggerred again the civil rights movement under the leadership of Martin Luther King Jr.
The then President Dwight D Eisenhower ordered the National Guards to degegregate the students in south american schools, but yet the pace was very slow. This issue of civil rights became a crucial factor in the presidential election of 1960. That time, John F Kennedy was a staunch supporter of civil rights and advocated the move of Supreme Court for implementation of its order. This support led him to win the election and got support from most of the African American community. However, this victory was very narrow, which resulted in a cautious approach from him towards the civil rights movement.
These were many African American members appointed on key positions in his administration but reluctant to lose vital support of southern states by pushing too hard on civil rights legislation. Though he advocated the same through his speeches and praised the work of administration, the pace of change was very slow and the African American members were growing impatient. This led the President Kennedy to act imperatively for the African American community ordering desegregation in schools and transport systems. This met with a much resistance from the southern states as they were not allowing the same and were forcing and pressurizing the community members to back off. Kennedy then ordered Federal Troops to deal with such instances and was able to garner support from Congress for passing the Civil Rights Act. However, he was assassinated before passing of the said law.
Answer to the second question:
The JFK's foreign policy is assessed below for their achievements and failures:
Achievements:
Failures:
Answer to the third question:
Lyndon Johnson, who became the President of US after the assassination of John F Kennedy, had a vision of 'Great Society'. He wanted to built the society to be rich and powerful in their values, could judge the governments through their qualities, liberty and abundance for all and an end to poverty and racism. The Congress supported this vision and passed majority of laws towards creation of Great Society which were meant for education aid, medical aid, urban renewal and beautification, fight against poverty, right to vote, etc. The Economic Opportunity Act of 1964 looked for job opportunities and elevation of people from poverty. It also funded the small businesses and farmers and also helped children with low family income for success in schools.
The Medicare Bill was established to provide the health care for senior citizens by funding their medical bills. In lines with Medicare Bill, Medicaid Bill was also established for funding the health care bills and provide medical aid to the poor people. Further, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided for the Federal funding for education below college level and Higher Education Act helped to provide the funding to the children who wanted to attend colleges. The Housing and Urban Development Act of 1965 was established for funding the public housing and aided the cities. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 abolished the discrimination of American people on the basis of their race and color and established equal rights and opportunities for them.
These were some of the programs initiated under Great Society vision of Lyndon Johnson. These programs helped greatly to elevate the living standards of the American people by giving them Federal aid for educating their children, for paying their expensive medical bills, for helping them in acquiring affordable housing, and abolition of racial discrimination and injustice. Though these programs were met with great hurdles during their implementation, they had a long term impact on the American society and they contributed a lot in the development of equal society.
Answer to the fourth question:
The significance of the year 1968 in the American History is given below: