President Kennedy's Accomplishments

1. Tax Reforms: In 1963, Kennedy proposed a new general tax cut. It cut income tax down from 20-91% to 14-65%. This also increased business investments by cutting corporate tax rates. It had a huge impact because it helped revive the economy.

2. Space Race: The Space Race was a competition between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. It was a battle for success in science, technology, and economics. The competition to be the best led to great leaps in all three areas. The impact of the Space Race is as follows: Russia sent 1st satellite into orbit, Sputnik I. Russia sent first man to orbit the Earth, Y.Gargir in Vostok I. America's 1st man in space was Alan Shepherd. Then America's John Glenn orbited the Earth. The U.S. landed the first people on the moon, Aldrin, Armstrong, and Collins in Apollo II. Neil Armstrong was the first man on the moon.

3. Equal Pay Act of 1963: This act was to prohibit discrimination based on sex. It established that men and women should have equal compensation for the same work. It is an amendment to the Fair Labor Standards Act. It had a huge impact because it rectified wage disparity face by the working woman.

4. Civil Rights: Kennedy strengthened the Civil Rights Commission by appointing unprecedented number of African Americans to high level positions in his administration. The legislation outlawed discrimination in hotels, motels, theaters, and all public interstate commerce organizations. It withdrew federal funding of discriminatory programs, and outlawed employment discrimination leading to the creation of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The Civil Rights Act impacted America because it was a step toward legal equality. It protected voting rights, an influenced the desegregation of schools. The Civil Rights Act officially passed on July 2, 1964 after JFK's death.

5. Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty: This was a treaty signed in Moscow in 1963, between the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union. It banned nuclear weapon testing in outer space, the atmosphere, and in the water. The major impact was it played a huge role in the control of nuclear weapons. It also coincided with the decrease in radioactive atmospheric particles.

6. Alliance For Progress: This was Kennedy's plan to help bring social reform to Latin America and decrease communistic growth. This 20 billion dollar plan was to help with tax and land reform. It provided Latin America with housing, jobs, and schools. It had a huge impact in Brazil and Peru in regards to their housing and school reform.

7. Peace Corps: This was established in 1961. It's an agency that volunteer assistance to developing countries like Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The focus is on preventing the spread of communism by reducing poverty in third world countries. The impact has been great because it has led to clean water, disability support, and other contributions, which gives a good impression and better understanding of the United States to other countries.

8. New Frontier: This was the name of Kennedy's domestic reform program. The focus points of the program were education, federal support of health care, civil rights, and urban renewal. It began under Kennedy, but most of the program was passed under Johnson, after Kennedy's assassination. The impact was it increased minimum wage, established unemployment insurance, and helped develop the Peace Corps, Fair labor Standards Act, and Equal Pay Act.

9. Educational Reform: At the beginning of Kennedy's presidency, the high school drop out rate was 27%. This program increased the number of classrooms. It also required increased training for teachers. Scholarships were expanded, library funds were increased. Funds were also increased for school lunches and children with disabilities. Within four years, the number of high school drop outs significantly was reduced. This has had a large impact because the graduation rate now is 25% higher than it was at the beginning of his presidency.

10. Cuban Missile Crisis: The Soviet Union had missiles in Cuba, which was close to the United States. Kennedy placed a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent more military supplies from coming in. He demanded the Soviets dismantle the missiles. The Soviets removed the missiles in exchange for the promise that the United States would not invade Cuba. The impact on the way Kennedy handled this, was that he averted what potentially would have been a nuclear war. It was the closest we had ever been to nuclear warfare with the Soviet Union. It also resulted in the development of the "Hotline" between the White House and Kremlin.