KENNEDY AND THE RESURGENCE OF BIG GOVERNMENT LIBERALISM
By 1960 government had become an increasingly powerful force in people’s lives . During the Great De- pression of the 1930s, new execu- tive agencies were created to deal with many aspects of American life . During World War II, the number of civilians employed by the feder- al government rose from one mil- lion to 3 .8 million, then stabilized at 2 .5 million in the 1950s . Federal expenditures, which had stood at $3,100-million in 1929, increased to $75,000-million in 1953 and passed $150,000-million in the 1960s .
Most Americans accepted gov- ernment’s expanded role, even as they disagreed about how far that expansion should continue . Democrats generally wanted the government to ensure growth and stability . They wanted to extend federal benefits for education, health,
CHAPTER 13: DECADES OF CHANGE: 1960-1980
OUTLINE OF U.S. HISTORY
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and welfare . Many Republicans accepted a level of government responsibility, but hoped to cap spending and restore a larger measure of individual initiative . The presidential election of 1960 revealed a nation almost evenly divided between these visions .
John F . Kennedy, the Democratic victor by a narrow margin, was at 43 the youngest man ever to win the presidency . On television, in a series of debates with opponent Richard Nixon, he appeared able, articulate, and energetic . In the campaign, he spoke of moving aggressively into the new decade, for “the New Fron- tier is here whether we seek it or not .” In his first inaugural address, he concluded with an eloquent plea: “Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country .” Throughout his brief presidency, Kennedy’s special com- bination of grace, wit, and style — far more than his specific legislative agenda — sustained his popularity and influenced generations of politi- cians to come .
Kennedy wanted to exert strong leadership to extend economic ben- efits to all citizens, but a razor-thin margin of victory limited his man- date . Even though the Democrat- ic Party controlled both houses of Congress, conservative Southern Democrats often sided with the Re- publicans on issues involving the scope of governmental intervention in the economy . They resisted plans to increase federal aid to education, provide health insurance for the el-
derly, and create a new Department of Urban Affairs . And so, despite his lofty rhetoric, Kennedy’s policies were often limited and restrained .
One priority was to end the reces- sion, in progress when Kennedy took office, and restore economic growth . But Kennedy lost the confidence of business leaders in 1962, when he succeeded in rolling back what the administration regarded as an exces- sive price increase in the steel indus- try . Though the president achieved his immediate goal, he alienated an important source of support . Per- suaded by his economic advisers that a large tax cut would stimulate the economy, Kennedy backed a bill pro- viding for one . Conservative opposi- tion in Congress, however, appeared to destroy any hopes of passing a bill most congressmen thought would widen the budget deficit .
The overall legislative record of the Kennedy administration was meager . The president made some gestures toward civil rights leaders but did not embrace the goals of the civil rights movement until demonstrations led by Martin Luther King Jr . forced his hand in 1963 . Like Truman before him, he could not secure congressional passage of federal aid to public education or for a medical care program limited to the elderly . He gained only a modest increase in the minimum wage . Still, he did secure funding for a space program, and established the Peace Corps to send men and women overseas to assist developing countries in meeting their own needs .