The “New Frontier” term was used by President John F. Kennedy during his acceptance speech in the 1960 United States presidential election. During his administration, Kennedy passed legislation through Congress that expanded unemployment benefits, public goods funding, and aid to underserved groups.

On this day, June 10th, in 1963, JFK signed into law the Equal Pay Act, which ensured that there would be equal pay for those doing equal work.

Congress passed the Act because of a discrepancy between the wages of women and the wages of men, which reflected an outmoded belief that men should receive higher pay than women because of a man’s role in society. Since the EPA’s enactment, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has shown that women’s salaries have risen from 62% of men’s earnings in 1970 to 80% of men’s wages in 2004.