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United States History
Topic 1
After his election, Kennedy was a young and charming president who brought new hope to Americans. In his speech he said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country” (Berkin, Miller, & Cherry 850). Kennedy gave hope to Americans promising to bring racism to an end, bring peace to the world and defeat poverty by launching a New Frontier Program.
Kennedy unlike other presidents who came before him had better luck in turning the economy of the United States around. Kennedy wanted to save Americans from the bad policies made by his predecessors that made the country to suffer the great depression. As discussed by Berkin et al, he aimed to create a society where poverty would be eliminated (850). Kennedy worked closely with economic advisors in planning and shaping the national economy through federal spending and tax policies.
President Kennedy gave consent on the urban renewal bill. This facilitated the revitalization of run-down areas of the cities to give them a new look. The federal government was charged with the responsibility of providing funds for the construction of modern housing, public facilities and office buildings.
Monetary as well as fiscal policies including cuts in taxes were used in the stimulation of the economy. Kennedy managed to push for reduction of taxes in the Congress during the first year, but failed to do so the following year. Government spending was used in order to stimulate the economy (Berkin et al 850).
Topic 2
From 1962-1965, Cesar Chavez and a group of other organizers traveled the valleys of California talking to people and urging them to join their organization which later came to be known as the National Farm workers Association (NFWA). They termed their organization as a labor union due to the bad memories people had about failed strikes and unfulfilled promises (Berkin et al 865).
On September 8, 1965, following the leadership of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, the organization went on strike. They wanted people to view the strike as a battle for human rights and dignity. They made this their cause and tried reaching out to church members as well as student activists for support. Chavez urged the members of the labor union to employ non-violent tactics as a way to uphold their morals. This organization attracted the interest of the public due their non-violent tactics.
Most of the members focused on grape boycott. Since most of the union members were workers in the grape farms, they persuaded others not to buy grapes so that they could pressure Delano growers to meet their demands. With the signing of an agreement with the growers, the labor union felt that they had won part of the battle (Berkin et al 865). This brought to an end the era of an abusive system where farmers were protected from harsh chemicals use in Agriculture. In addition, wages for the farmers were increased as well as building of toilets and provision of a medical cover.
Cesar Chavez died in 1993 which din not only mark the end to his era, but the beginning of another. Arturo Rodriguez his successor took over the union taking it back to where it started so as to advocate for the rights of farmers working in mushroom and strawberry farms. The union lived on even after the death of its founders employing the same non-violent tactics (Berkin et al 866).
Work Cited
Berkin, Carol., Miller, Christopher., & Cherry, Robert. Making American: A History
of the United States since 1865, Volume II. Florence: Cengage Learning, 2010. Print.
