JOHN KENNEDY & LYNDON JOHNSON.   Term Paper ID:25322 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines public expectations raised by two presidents in domestic & foreign affairs & the accompanying rise of black movement, New Left & counterculture.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines public expectations raised by two presidents in domestic & foreign affairs & the accompanying rise of black movement, New Left & counterculture. Paper Introduction: Both President Kennedy and President Johnson raised public expectations to unreasonable levels with respect to their domestic policies and programs, which contributed to the rise of the radical black movement, the New Left, and the counterculture. However, the assassination of Kennedy cut short his efforts, and the escalation of the Vietnam war under Johnson undermined his successes on the domestic front. In addition, the unreasonable expectations raised by both presidents were as much a product of the times as they were a product of the actions of the presidents themselves. Judging Kennedy's programs and policies on the domestic front is difficult because his presidency was cut short by his murder just over three years into his presidency. However, he did Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. The question is whether Kennedy did actually accomplish his domesticgoals in a way that would lead one to call him a leader in reality as wellas in the hearts of the nation and the world. This is his fault andnobody else's. Johnson's administration had much more violence in terms of blackdissidents, student demonstrators, anti-Vietnam protests, and civil rightsthan Kennedy's. This led James Meredith to become the first black studentat the University of Mississippi. The Tragedy of Lyndon Johnson. In part, Johnson's success ingetting the civil rights law passed was in part a cause of the growth ofthe black movement. and almostall of the 1963 Kennedy programs (Sorensen 249). In civil rights, Kennedy faced a Congress which resisted his domesticprograms, especially Southern congressmembers. When Meredith's effort led to the stand-off between the federal government and the state, Kennedy stood his ground.He ordered the Secretary of Defense to enforce the court order admittingMeredith, and he used the armed forces and the national guard to do so(Bernstein 82). Therefore, Kennedy's successwas the result, in part, of the fact that he was just the sort of leaderneeded in the 196 s. The result wasdissatisfaction among the people, especially young blacks who wanted tohave complete freedom and rights immediately, and young whites whoprotested against the Vietnam war under Johnson. Promises Kept. This expectation allowed the two presidents to advance socialprograms, but their success led to higher expectations. The Senate was expected to finish hearings on the bill onNovember 27, 1963, but Kennedy was murdered on November 22 (Bernstein 159). The protests againstVietnam combined with the growth of the more violent black and whiteprotests for civil rights. Works CitedBernstein, Irving. New York: Popular Library, 1964.Sorensen, Theodore. Both President Kennedy and President Johnson raised publicexpectations to unreasonable levels with respect to their domestic policiesand programs, which contributed to the rise of the radical black movement,the New Left, and the counterculture. The Burden and the Glory. Bernstein notes that the 196 s called for a more vital and activeleader than had been required in the 195 s. Kennedy's New Frontier, argues he was an effective leader.Bernstein argues that many of the domestic programs started by Kennedy werecompleted by Johnson, but he also says that Johnson's success in Congresswas in part a result of the love of the people for Kennedy. However, even though it looked as if he wouldface certain defeat, he still fought for civil rights legislation. However, he didaccomplish enough and set in motion enough trends and policies to supportan argument that he was indeed an effective leader and would have likelydeveloped into an even greater leader had he lived and been re-elected.Part of the high expectations created by Kennedy had to do with his youthand charisma, and the national sense that he was going to be a much activeleader than the older and much more conservative Eisenhower. Violence did occur, two people were killed, but Meredith wasadmitted, and the civil rights struggle moved on, leading to the civilrights bill which was shoved through Congress by Johnson and by the urgentnational need to complete what Kennedy had begun. New York: Dell, 1969.Kennedy, John F. Kennedy fought for civil rights as far back as the 196 convention,when he got a civil rights plank put into the Democratic platform(Bernstein 75). Perhaps Johnson's success with his Great Society programsled him to believe that he could do whatever he wanted to do, but he couldnot find success in Vietnam no matter what he did. Johnson, in the Foreword toKennedy's The Burden and the Glory, notes the role Kennedy played inadvancing the cause of freedom and peace, in developing and executingdomestic and foreign policy. Drugs led the counterculture to question theestablishment even more, and Johnson represented that establishment.Kennedy and Johnson found success in part because the nation's expectationshad been awakened after the sleepy Eisenhower era. Kennedy is given credit for advancing the cause of civil rights, buthe is also criticized for having stalled action in that area until it wasno longer possible to do so and he absolutely had to involve thepresidency. Johnson accomplished more than Kennedyon the domestic front, as part of his Great Society, but he quickly becameoverwhelmed by the Vietnam war, and today he is remembered for his failuresin that war than for his domestic successes. However, he did find some successdomestically in those years. Nevins writes that Kennedy diedbefore he could bring about the changes he sought (Kennedy 9). In addition, theunreasonable expectations raised by both presidents were as much a productof the times as they were a product of the actions of the presidentsthemselves. Theodore Sorensen, in The Kennedy Legacy, writes that most ofthe 1961 and 1962 domestic programs of Kennedy's were enacted. New York: Oxford UP, 1991.Goldman, Eric F. Kennedy set up highexpectations which perhaps could not be met by any President, especially inthe area of civil rights. Nevins writes that Kennedy brought the feeling that the future ofthe nation was filled with imagination, hope, and the sense that anadventure in life lay before the people. He simply did not have enough time to bring about thechanges in domestic programs which he sought. New York: Macmillan, 1969.----------------------- 1 These issues included civil rights,taxation, unemployment, the continuation of New Deal programs, education,Medicare, and the Peace Corps. Despite the fact that Johnson did push throughmany domestic programs, including the Civil Rights Bill, it was not enoughto stop the build-up of radical dissidents among both white and blackyouth. Bernstein goes on to look at the important domesticissues of the early 196 s, and he concludes that in all of them Kennedydemonstrated effective leadership. Kennedy also showedleadership in the economic arena by guiding a major income tax cut throughthe House. Irving Bernstein, in PromisesKept: John F. In life as well as indeath, Johnson says, Kennedy made people believe that anything could beaccomplished to better the lives of the nation's and world's people(Kennedy 7-8). In civil rights,wrongs of hundreds of years were in need of correction, and the twopresidents could never do enough to right all those wrongs. Had he lived and been re-elected, he likelywould have accomplished much more. Judging Kennedy's programs and policies on the domestic front isdifficult because his presidency was cut short by his murder just overthree years into his presidency. The law was only a small step in the long path to civilrights, but young blacks and white students on the left wanted radicalchange immediately. Kennedy was viewed by the nation as a leader who inspired people tohope and enthusiasm. The counterculture was a result of many factors, includingthe high expectations set up by Kennedy. In the area of fightingdiscrimination in employment, the Southern congressmembers fought hard tostop Kennedy (Bernstein 54). Allan Nevins, in his Introduction to The Burden and the Glory, notesthe response of the nation at the murder of their leader, PresidentKennedy. Everything he did for the people in the domestic area wasforgotten because of his obsession with Vietnam. In the fight to continue New Deal social programs, federal aid toeducation, and the fight against unemployment, Kennedy did not win everybattle with Congress, but he was fighting for these changes until he wasassassinated. However, the assassination of Kennedycut short his efforts, and the escalation of the Vietnam war under Johnsonundermined his successes on the domestic front. Kennedy was in office for fewer than three years and obviouslydid not have the time to demonstrate his leadership fully. Johnson writes that Kennedy was a man whobuilt hope for peace and freedom at home and abroad. The Kennedy Legacy. Of course, the Vietnam war came to obsess Johnson and undermined hisGreat Society. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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