John F. Kennedy: The Only Non-Protestant President

“Faith, Truth, and Tolerance in America,” is a speech by Edward M. Kennedy established through literary devices. As he spoke to the college through this dialog there was historical, political and social views but also historical political views and points in which the speech had progressed by expressing views of religion being an aspect in how the government were to rule. Though there is multiple literary devices that are used to create ethical, emotional, and logical appeal, although the majority is ethical, he brings historical factors of political views of past politicians of whether or not it should be an aspect or an influence in government, most of which were presidents at one time or another. Thus informing the audience of the support

During Senator Edward M. Kennedy’s speech, “Faith, Truth, and Tolerance in America,” he attempts to bring Americans together by helping them understand different viewpoints and recognize when to input religion into debate. Kennedy concentrates on this topic because during that October of 1983, tensions were rising in the country due to conflicting opinions on the nuclear freeze. Kennedy, a Democrat, delivers this speech at Liberty Baptist University, a largely Republican college, so he repeatedly demonstrates his ability to relate to the audience in an effort to fill the space between their differing political parties and religions. Additionally, he makes references to ethos to prove his authority to speak on the subject at hand. He portrays

The hostility between Protestants and Catholics in pre-Independence America has survived in the 20th century, albeit in a different form – political partisanship. In one notable example, the former pastor of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in Waynesville, North Carolina ‘told the congregation that anyone who planned to vote for Democratic Senator John Kerry should either leave the church or repent.’ The church later expelled nine members who did vote for Senator Kerry. While the First Amendment

Prior to John F. Kennedy’s inauguration was, of course, the election of 1960, in which Kennedy went face to face with Richard Nixon on issues such as, the Cold War, Kennedy’s religious beliefs, and the display of each’s competence. In Kennedy’s inaugural address, he not only alludes, but also addresses to the Cold War, and makes mention of his future plans and Roman Catholic religious beliefs; and, he does so through use of allusions and anaphoras. Through the use of allusions and anaphoras, Kennedy effectively achieves his purpose of fulfilling citizen’s expectations, addressing the Cold War, and stating the United States’s future plans to his audience, the United States of America and other nations, through emphasis and rhetorical appeals towards pathos and ethos.

My seventh quote is, “…His message came across clear and appealing ... He described America as a country 'where no Catholic prelate would tell the President -- should he be a Catholic - how to act and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote. This is a country where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one Church is treated as an act against all.” That was said by Kennedy. Kennedy was a Roman Catholic, and many believed that it would affect his loyalty between his nation and his church. Kennedy used a great maxim called hang a lantern on your problem. He brought went to many meeting of groups of Protestant and even toured Texas in order to be judged by his most skeptical voters. He gave his speech on television which included

In the following speech, Kennedy expands on his views regarding his Catholicism affecting his changes to win presidency. He emphasizes his strong beliefs in the separation of church and state and his own personal independence in the decision making process. The general theme of the speech in that religious intolerance has no place in a modern society, and no place in making a determination about who is qualified to lead the nation.

Similarly, in Hawaii , he had considered that Nixon had won in the state, but in a count Kennedy was able to come back and win the state for a minimum difference of 115 votes. In the national popular vote , Kennedy beat Nixon by just one tenth of a percentage point 0.1 % the closest margin of the popular vote of the twentieth century. In the Electoral College, Kennedy 's victory was bigger , won 303 electoral votes to Nixon's 219 when 269 were needed to win. A total of 15 voters, eight Mississippi , six of Alabama, and one in Oklahoma , refused to vote for either Kennedy or Nixon. The New York Times , summed up the debate in late November , spoke of a "narrow " consensus among experts that Kennedy had won more than he lost as a result of his Catholicism. Northern Catholics supported Kennedy because of the attacks of their religion. In particular, Kennedy was the last candidate to win the presidency without winning in Ohio and was the only one who did in the twentieth century. It is also one of the two Democrats so far winless Florida, from the beginning of the creation of the party

Kennedy’s speech carries with it a dauntless rhythm of persuasiveness, emboldening and inspiring his audience through emotional conviction and personal attribution. With parallelism and juxtaposition, John F. Kennedy was able to capture the minds and hearts of the American people. During the vast majority of the address, he uses inclusivity (us, we, our) with the audience to show his personal dedication to the public and mankind as a whole. Kennedy’s dedication to his people and god was enough to gain the support of the nation, from both political parties; he proclaims that it was “not the victory of a party, but a celebration of freedom…” Kennedy does this in an attempt to establish his credibility as a just and equal leader, who saw past the petty divisions of our bipartisan dichotomy. Aside from this instance, JFK states later that he is a “fellow citizen of the world…” to appeal to his international audience. As much as Kennedy addressed his fellow man, he also referenced God in many occasions throughout his speech. Considering that at the time of its delivery 84% of the

In the election of 1960, many Democratic leaders entered the race for their party, because of increased majorities in the Senate (64 Democratic seats to 32 Republican seats) and House (283 Democratic seats to 153 Republican seats). However, "John F. Kennedy's impressive performance and reelection as Senator of Massachusetts in 1958, made him the Democratic front-runner." 5 Other Democratic candidates were Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, Senator Stewart Symington of Missouri, Adlai Stevenson of Illinois, and Senate majority leader, Lyndon Johnson. Kennedy had faced obstacles in challenging his opponents, all of who were more powerful than he, and had "longer, more distinguished political careers."6 Another factor against Kennedy was his Roman Catholic background, but his "primary victory in overwhelmingly Protestant West Virginia helped to rebut the claim that a Catholic could not win." 7 Only once had a Catholic ever been nominated, Governor Al Smith of New York, in 1928, but Smith was easily defeated.

“In November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was preparing for the next presidential campaign.” Although he didn’t announce his candidacy, it was clear that he was going to run for re-election,” Emely said. He seemed confident about his chances for the re-election. “At the end of September, he traveled west and speaked in nine different states less than a week”, explained Carli. “But Kennedy also used it to sound out themes such as education, national security, and world peace for his run in, 1964,” Applied Emely. “When he did become president in 1961, black americans were denied legal equality and human dignity. They could not vote, They were barred from public facilities, were subjected to routine insults and violence. On November 22, but a crowd of several thousand stood in the parking lot

Compared to Kennedy’s speech, Eleanor Clift’s, “ Inside Kennedy’s Inauguration, 50 Years On,” utilizes a journalistic approach while still appealing to ethos and pathos to achieve her purpose. Clift establishes her credibility through the use of many direct quotes within her article rather than establishing shared values like within Kennedy’s speech. The article is structured so that each paragraph of the article is the recollection of a different person who attended; a different perspective of the inauguration is discussed each time in chronological order rather than the use of parallelism and climax. At the same time, Clift appeals to pathos, similar to Kennedy, but instead uses anecdotes rather than figurative language. An example of which is seen in the quote, “We forget, looking back on it, how powerful the anti-catholic was,” which states the difficulty Kennedy faced in the election due to his affiliation with Catholicism. The quote is then followed up further in the text with the quote, “We had to win in West Virginia to prove that a Catholic could win because there were so few Catholics there, only 1 or 2 percent.” A feeling of inspiration and respect toward Kennedy is created similar to the feelings patriotism stirred during his inauguration speech. Clift establishes her article in a different

John F. Kennedy once said, “I am not the Catholic candidate for President. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for President, who happens also to be a Catholic.” In this single sentence, he uses a method of Aristotle’s persuasive speech making. One of the greatest examples of using rhetorical strategies is indeed John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address of 1961. John F. Kennedy uses diction, syntax, and Aristotle’s method of persuasion in his inaugural address that not only made it uniquely his own, but made it undoubtedly one of the best, emotion tugging, speeches ever.

JFK was convinced to run for Congress in Massachusetts in 1946. He was a Democrat that served three terms in the House of Representatives. In 1952 Kennedy was elected into the U.S. Senate. His popularity was growing and he was nominated by the Democratic party to run for president in 1960. In November of the same year, in a very close race, JFK defeated the Republican Vice President Richard Nixon. Kennedy was the thirty-fifth president and the first catholic to ever be elected president. He was also the youngest man to ever be elected for president. During Kennedy’s inaugural speech he said “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what youcan do for your

It was starting to look as if politics were beginning to become more secular. As it is well known, after Kennedy’s assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson carried out the rest of Kennedy’s term, and then ran for reelection in 1964. Johnson, a left-leaning Democrat found himself up against Barry Goldwater from the right-minded Republican Party. Early on in the 20th century, many of Protestant denominations had adopted progressive, social reformist doctrines, that many people still value to this day. Despite being Protestant, Goldwater’s platform took a much more conservative approach. This ended up backfiring on him, however, as many Christian publications stated that they opposed Goldwater’s policies. He was further stigmatized by the religious publication The Christian Century as turning his patriotic rhetoric into “religious nationalism.” To make matters worse for Goldwater, in October of 1964, less than a month before the general election, 725 Episcopalian clergy and laymen from forty-one states signed a resolution accusing him of “a transparent exploitation of racialism.” Richard Nixon, a Republican and ex-Vice President at the time, claimed that these allegations were “the most vicious in political history.” As a result, Lyndon Johnson won the 1964 election in an unprecedented landslide victory, with Barry Goldwater only winning six states: his native Arizona, and five states in the heart of the Bible Belt (Kosmin 1993:174-5). While religious leaders in the end

Being the only Catholic President, John F. Kennedy shares his strong faith in God, saying “And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe, the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” John F. Kennedy bases a lot of speech on his faith in God, implying that it placed in the hands of God and no longer up to us, implying God helps those who help themselves. He demonstrates power when he states, “In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our course.” Meaning, we are in charge of what is to come. He symbolizes an end, as well as a new beginning. Each American has the chance to make the change, and it lies within the hands of generations to come. He uses his most famous quote to demonstrate freedom by saying, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” John F. Kennedy signals renewal, as well as change. This famous quote is also paired with a quote about freedom, it states, “My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.” It was paired with a line about freedom, intentionally. These two lines, taken