Standard 21 (a and b): Kennedy & Johnson

Following the Cuban Revolution, which of the following was NOT a reason the United States turned against Fidel Castro?

• He suspended all elections.

• He named himself president for life.

• He overthrew Cuban President Fulgencio Batista.

• He allied the Cuban government with the Soviet Union.

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from President Kennedy's statement?

• The United States supported both the Batista regime and Fidel Castro with full knowledge of their Soviet ties.

• Support for the Batista regime and then Fidel Castro later haunted the United States in the form of the Soviet threat.

• The United States should have provided greater military support to Fidel Castro to prevent his alliance with the Soviets.

• Failure to provide economic and military support to the Batista regime later led to Soviet aggression against the United States.

Read the passage "Cuba, Communism, and Executive Power" and answer any questions that follow.

In 1960, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) proposed to "bring about the replacement of the Castro regime with one more devoted to the true interests of the Cuban people and more acceptable to the U.S. in such a manner to avoid any appearance of U.S. intervention." President Dwight Eisenhower approved the plan and a $13 million budget for the operation, which would train over 1,000 Cuban exiles to land in Cuba and overthrow the communist government. President John Kennedy took office in January of 1961 and was quickly briefed. He authorized the operation to continue. The invasion took place in April. By all counts, the invasion was a failure — the Cuban armed forces, trained and equipped by Eastern Bloc nations, defeated the exile combatants in three days — and a severe embarrassment to the Kennedy administration. Worse, it left lingering questions regarding the legality of the invasion and the proper reach of executive power.

The historical event described in this passage is known by which of the following names?

• Bay of Pigs

• Gulf of Tonkin

• Iran Contra Affair

• Cuban Missile Crisis

Which of the following statements BEST characterizes the Cuban Missile Crisis as it relates to presidential power and decision making?

• Every decision on how to respond to the threat was approved by a joint Congressional committee.

• It was a crisis that President John Kennedy saw fit to manage exclusively with ranking members of the Senate.

• Every decision on how to respond to the threat rested exclusively with President John Kennedy and his inner circle.

• It was the first international crisis in which Congress knowingly gave their defense authority to the President.

After the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, his successor Lyndon B. Johnson persuaded Congress to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 by

• weakening many of the terms of the bill.

• promising to end costly national boycotts.

• encouraging its passage as a tribute to the fallen president.

• allowing states to choose which parts of the bill they adopted.

What is Kennedy's legislative agenda called?

• Great Society

• Fair Deal

• New Frontier

• Square Deal

Why did Kennedy cancel air support for the Bay of Pigs invasion?

• to keep US involvement a secret

• to avoid going to war with Cuba

• to withdraw his support for the overthrow of Castro's gov't

• to give the operation a better chance to succeed

When it came to the space race. What did Kennedy want the US to be the first to do?

• Put a man in space

• Put a woman into space

• Put a man on the moon

• Put a satellite into space

Which program is government funded health insurance for the elderly?

• Medicaid

• Head Start

• Medicare

• VISTA

Where was Kennedy's first major foreign crisis?

• Cuba
• Soviet Union
• Germany
• Vietnam