John F. Kennedy’s Domestic “New Frontier” Agenda

JFK was criticized for his poor record in domestic achievements. This paper discusses one positive achievement, the factors that influenced his domestic shortfalls, and those that contributed to the failure to promote a domestic new frontier agenda. 

JFK’s Positive Accomplishment 

One of JFK’s most significant positive accomplishments in terms of legislation is the creation of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA). Before its implementation, women earned about fifty-nine cents for every dollar a man earned. The act was introduced to eliminate gender pay bias. President JFK cited that the US economy largely depended on women. Therefore, women needed to receive adequate income, which would be used to support the family unit. One of the EPA provisions was that women were entitled to compensation for employment discrimination (Siniscalco et al., 2014). Therefore, the act was implemented to solve endemic employment discrimination, especially in the private industry. 

JFK's Failure to Promote a Domestic "New Frontier" Agenda 

JFK’s failure to promote the “new frontier” at home was primarily influenced by the lack of previous experience as an executive. Additionally, JFK also preferred to use young men with high intelligence but dismal expertise. Such workers were subjected to highly informal working environments and shifting responsibilities. They had limited sensitivity to foreign cultures and traditional disputes that were immune to external influences. Lastly, JFK conducted foreign policy haphazardly. He disliked orderly procedures and alternated advisers with shifting topics. Consequently, loose management and lack of oversight led to employee insubordination (Patterson, 1989). Arrogance, ignorance, and impatience led to JFK’s failure in promoting the New Frontier at home. 

JFK’s Domestic Shortfalls 

One of the most significant factors that we should consider in understanding JFK’s domestic shortfalls is his reluctance to push too hard on civil rights for fear of alienating Democratic southern Senators. Kennedy exhibited moderation on civil rights. Additionally, the executive tools he utilized in the area of civil rights were inadequate. The inadequacy affected the progress of the Civil Rights Act. In some instances, implementing sweeping changes using executive action might have been unconstitutional (MacLaury, 2010). Using stronger legislative action would have been more effective than executive tools. 

Conclusion 

One of JFK’s most significant positive accomplishments is the creation of the Equal Pay Act of 1963 (EPA). Arrogance, ignorance, and impatience led to JFK’s failure in promoting the New Frontier at home. He also exhibited moderation on civil rights. 

Reference 

MacLaury, J. (2010). President Kennedy's EO 10925: Seedbed of Affirmative Action.  Fed. Hist. ,  2 , 42. 

Patterson, T. (1989). John F. Kennedy’s quest for victory and global crisis. In T. Patterson (Eds.), Kennedy’s quest for victory: American foreign policy, 1961-1963 (pp. 3-23). Oxford University Press. 

Siniscalco, G., Damrell, L., & Nabity, C. M. (2014). The pay gap, the glass ceiling, and pay bias: Moving forward fifty years after the equal pay act.  ABA Journal of Labor & Employment Law , 395-427. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43489443