Time Period

When John F. Kennedy became president, there was rising unemployment and inflation in the US. Also, steel company executives raised prices for steel, which many manufactors used (and then therefore had to raise their own prices, hurting consumers).

Media, specifically television, was also creating a huge impact. For example, when JFK and Nixon hosted T.V. debates, Kennedy was the decided winner because of his wardrobe and looks compared to Nixon's. A new era of technological influence had begun.

The US was still in the Cold War with the Soviet Union. In 1960, a US U-2 spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union, increasing tensions. Later, when Cuba became allies with the Soviet Union, many Americans believed that war was ineviatable because of Cuba's proximity to the US. There was also a fierce competition between the Soviets and the Americans about the "Space Race." The Soviets sent the first man into space in 1961.

In 1959, Fidel Castro took over Cuba and established himself as dictator. He establised a communist-styled governmental system. The relation of Cuba to America made the US nervous; a communist nation so close frightenend them, bringing to mind the "Domino Theory".

The Civil Rights Movement was pushing forward. The March on Washington in 1963 was attended by thousands, concluding with Martin Luther King Jr's 'I Have a Dream' Speech. Click here to read Martin Luther King Jr's Speech.

The Vietnam War dramatically impacted the time period. The US supported the democratic Southern part of Vietnam. In 1961, President Kennedy increased the number of advisors to Vietnam to ease tensions and report back. Kennedy believed in the "Domino Theory"- if one country fell to communist control, then the rest of the world would follow.