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Wins Election
Kennedy wins the election for presidenct against Nixon. It was a close win with 49.7% (Kennedy) and 49.6% (Nixon). However, the electoral votes were not as close: 303 votes for Kennedy and 219 votes for Nixon. -
Kennedy's Inaugration
Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president. His famous quote for his his inaugural speech was "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you- askwhat you can do for your country." In this speech he was referring to the Peaces Corps. -
Peace Corps
Kennedy signed and passed the creation of the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps sent American volunteers (men and women) to developing nations. These volunteers would work in these countries as teachers, health workers, and advisers in farming, industry, and government. Volunteers would usually stay in these countries for two years. -
Bay of Pigs
Occurred on the south coast of Cuba. About 1,500 CIA-trained Cuban exiles landed at the Bay of Pigs. The Cuban leader Fidel Castro formed a Communist dictatorship and became allies with the Soviet Union. The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)forged a plan to overthrow Castro during Eisenhower's presidency. When Kennedy became president he had doubts about the plan but still went through with it. In the end the invasion failed and Kennedy was very embarrassed. -
Freedom Riders
The Supreme Court had ruled in 1960 against segregated bus facilities. A civil rights group, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), decided to see if the rule was being enforced. SO a group of African Americans and white CORE members rode from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans by bus. The ride went well until they reached Alabama, where angry whites stoned and beat them. -
Space Race
Kennedy commited to the Space Race against the Soviet Union. Kennedy believed that a man would walk on the moon by the end of the decade. He was so intent on getting to the moon he created the organization known as NASA to help work towards achieving their goal. -
Conference Between Khrushchev and Kennedy
A conference was held in Vienna, Premier Khrushchev told President Kennedy that West Berlin needed to move out. Kennedy rejected Khrushchev's demand. The United States later sent troops to west Berlin. -
The Berlin Wall
The wall cut communications between the two parts of Berlin. The German government, with Soviet backing, closed the border between East and West Berlin and built a wall of concrete blocks with barbed wire along it. Soviets posted armed gaurds on the wall to stop more East Germans from fleeing to th West. -
Orbit the Earth
John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. -
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The Cuban Missile Crisis
The Soviets and the Cubans were building launch sites for nuclear missiles. The missiles could easily reach the US. President Kennedy met secretly with advisers to determine how to deal with the crisis. Kennedy spoke on national televsion, revealing the soviet missiles in Cuba. On October 22, Kennedy ordered the navy to blockade Cuba until the Soviets removed the missiles. After five days Soviet leaders agreed to withdraw their missiles. -
Kennedy Assassination
Kennedy arrived in Dallas with his wife, Jacqueline. As the presidential motorcade rode through the streets, Kennedy was shot. After his death, his vice President Lyndon B. Johnson.