John F. Kennedy’s Storied Presidency
“Fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” These very memorable words were uttered by John F. Kennedy during his inaugural address to the nation. He said this with his utmost presidential goal in mind, to get America moving again. JFK stuck to that goal until could not longer, when he was tragically assassinated by former marine, Lee Harvey Oswald. Despite this, Kennedy showed that he was truly a game changing figure of the 1960s because of his great appeal to the nation, his nearly perfect handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and all of his advances towards the Civil Rights Movement.
First of all, one of John F. Kennedy’s most prominent characteristics
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In the early days of the crisis, JFK made a formal declaration to both the nation and to the U.S.S.R that any nuclear weapons launched from Cuba onto any target in the Western Hemisphere would be considered an attack on the US and would warrant a full retaliatory response (“The Cuban Missile Crisis, October 1962”). He followed up that statement by blocking the transfer of all offensive weapons in route to Cuba (Freidel and Sidey). Kennedy showed the people that he wasn’t going to sit idly by while there was such a large threat to the nation’s safety, he was going to act boldly. After many more stressful days passed, JFK, in an attempt to ensure that the situation didn’t escalate any further, agreed to not attack Cuba if the Soviet Union withdrew all weapons from the island nation (Swift). After 13 grueling days of diplomatic actions, the Soviet Union’s ships left Cuba with their hatches open in order to show the Americans that they were carrying the missiles with them (Swift). Kennedy’s choice to pursue a peaceful end to the Cuban Missile Crisis, despite intense Soviet aggression, may have saved countless American lives. John F. Kennedy’s actions during the Cuban Missile Crisis boosted his reputation considerably and steered America away from a war with the …show more content…
At the time of JFK’s election, many African Americans living in the South were being denied the right to vote and being mistreated by both the public and the court system (“Civil Rights Movement”). Although he wanted to directly support the movement, he decided to simply appoint several African Americans to lofty positions in his administration in an attempt to bolster the Civil Rights Commission without losing Southern support on his legislation (“Civil Rights Movement”). This choice to not focus on the Civil Rights Movement caused there to be little legislation made on the issue for the first 2 years of Kennedy’s presidency. However, in the summer of 1963, violence on African Americans in Birmingham, Alabama reached its breaking point and Kennedy decided that now necessary to push for change (Siemaszko). Although he would never live to see it due to his assassination in November 1963, his civil right proposals led to the Civil Rights Act to be signed by Lyndon B. Johnson the next year (“Civil Rights Act(1964)”). Despite the fact he could never admire what he did, JFK designed the act that would end African American segregation in the United States. If it weren’t for Kennedy’s push for race equality, we might be living in a segregated society
Although Kennedy’s life was ended too early, he set many proud examples of equality and leadership to our world. He turned problems into answers and solutions. President Kennedy’s death caused much grief and sadness among all Americans across the nation. As the years have gone by and other presidents have written their chapters, JFK’s brief time in the office stands out in people’s memories for his leadership. He believed that people could solve their own common problems if they put their country’s interests first and worked for the answers they
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, leaders of the US and the USSR engaged in a tense, 13-day political and military standoff over the installation of nuclear-armed Soviet missiles on Cuba. Disaster was avoided when the US. agreed to Khrushchev’s offer to remove the Cuban missiles in exchange for the US promising not to invade Cuba; Kennedy also secretly agreed to remove U.S. missiles from Turkey. There has been considerable debate amongst historians about Kennedy's handling the Cuban Missile Crisis. The orthodox view maintains that Kennedy conducted himself skilfully from the beginning of the crisis, and all the way through it until its resolution; Kennedy was very calm and controlled during the thirteen days of crisis. However, revisionist historians claim that Kennedy and his advisors almost turned a negotiable Cold War into a nuclear WW3. The result of the crisis is of a high complexity as Cuba was still on the way to become a communist country but the end to the crisis was a success because the risk of direct confrontation between two superpowers was
Imagine that you are John F. Kennedy in 1962, and you find out that your ally, Cuba, has your enemy, Soviet Union, has ICBMS (intermediate- range ballistic missiles) & Ilyushin Il-28 light bombers, that could reach the United States and aimed toward the United States. The Cuban Missile Crisis was a thirteen-day confrontation between the United States, Cuba, and the Soviet Union. Cuba had the missiles there for like three months before one of the U.S had a spy plane that figured out that Cuba had the Soviets Missiles. For a while, the U.S had Intel that Cuba had the missiles but JFK did not believe that Cuba was betraying them. These missiles were only ninety miles away from Florida the U.S. issued a military blockade to prevent further missiles from reaching Cuba. When all the offensive missiles and light bombers were taken from Cuba the blockade was initially ended on November 21, 1962. Although the Cuban Missile Crisis ruined relations with the United States of America and Cuba, it impacted the blockade between the United States of America and Cuba, the respect for the United States of America, and the Bay of the Pigs.
The Cuban Missile Crisis could be known as President Kennedy’s greatest success. Due to the Cold War, tensions were high between the Russia and the United States. Kennedy discovered that the Soviet Union was constructing nuclear and long range missiles at a site in Cuba, which was dangerously close to America. Kennedy handled a difficult situation that could have had devastating effects on the U.S.
Kennedy went on, however, to risk his political career for these same rights. In response to an outburst at the University of Mississippi after the admittance of a black student, the president said from the oval office on June 11, 1963, “It ought to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color. In short, every American ought to have the right to be treated as he would wish to be treated, as one would wish his children to be treated.” Despite Kennedy’s assassination shortly after this proclamation, the Civil Rights Act passed through Congress just weeks later under President Johnson. As JFK intended, the Civil Rights Act afforded equal rights to whites and blacks alike (Kozak).
The Democrat, John F. Kennedy (1961-1963) was the 35th President of the United States during a critical time for the Civil Rights Movement, which demanded equality between people of all races. It was starting to become recognised and talked about in the American political radar, and, not only was making significant advances in its struggles, but was gaining support from many non-black individuals. During Kennedy’s campaign for President, he had adopted a position which favoured it. Kennedy’s presidency had a relatively significant impact in the advancement of the Civil Rights Movement in the US, due to his legitimization of the movement and his policies, mainly executive orders, which reduced discrimination in housing and employment.
“Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country”, John Fitzgerald Kennedy once said. John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States. As a young democrat, Kennedy won the votes of the people with his promises of social justice. (John F. Kennedy, Web). Tragically- before even hitting 3 years in office- John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Though his term wasn’t to the length he planned, the effects of what he did during his time as a president are lasting now over 50 years later. The major stepping stones taken by Kennedy helped out groups that needed it most. The laws John F. Kennedy passed in his short term in office had a positive influence on the future treatment of groups discriminated against in America by
John F. Kennedy protected our country from Soviet threats during the Cuban missile crisis. “In October 1962, a U-2 spy plane flying over Cuba discovered that the Soviet Union was building missile-launching sites on the island. From these sites, missiles carrying nuclear warheads could easily reach most major cities in the United States.” The Soviets were sneakily
“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.” This is a quote that President John Fitzgerald Kennedy used during his terms of presidency before he was assassinated in 1964. For many, his assassination remains one of the most traumatic events in their memory and even history. Although, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was much more than a president that got assassinated while in office.
In the October of 1962, the world looked on at the Soviet Union and the United States as they partook in a head-to-head face off which could have potentially result in their immediate destruction. Before this event, no one had truly considered the potential damage nuclear weapons could cause, but only realized the consequences as war became a possible reality. During those crucial 13 days, John Kennedy and his administrators crafted and developed solutions that would ultimately save the United States and the world from a nuclear holocaust. During the Cuban Missile crisis, John F. Kennedy was forced to make many difficult decisions on how the United States should respond to the crisis. While listening to the many voices of reason, it became evident there was no easy solution to resolve the conflict and with many possible outcomes. For JFK, "The essence of ultimate decision [remained] impenetrable to the observer - often, indeed, to the decider himself.... There [would] always be the dark and tangled stretches in the decision-making process - mysterious even to those who may be most intimately involved”. As a president of the United States, his role was to protect his nation, and as the leader of a world power, he also had to consider the well being of the world. His decision was based off of more than just defending the country, but he took into consideration the intentions of the Soviets. John F.
In the United States, freedom of religious practice is protected by the First Amendment of the constitution, and it is often a heavily fortified right. In Matt Calkins' article indited for the Seattle Times,a football coach by the name of Joe Kennedy is struggling to stand up for his personal notions in the face of ascendancy. If personal beliefs are not imposing on others and are non-deleterious and non-disruptive, an individual should have the possibility to practice their beliefs. By an outside observer, Kennedy’s actions seem like an imposition on his players, which caused the District Superintendent Aaron Leavell to tell Kennedy that his prayers on the 50 yard line must cease immediately, saying that they were “...in violation of district
The Democrat that stood with his hand on the living holy scripture would not only be known as the youngest man to enter the sacred halls of the White House, but also as the one that entrusted his heart and soul for the love of his nation. John Fitzgerald Kennedy recited what seemed like ancient words bound within the inaugural speech with more than a noticeable Boston pronunciation. The unforeseen knowledge that this young senator would be the victim of a deadly attack left the world innocent. This decorated Navy officer would be forever honored in the memories of the Americans. The 35th President of the United States was only granted a little more than two years to reconfigure the government, deal with foreign policy, and ignite
November 8, 1960 was a big day for America. It was the day John F. Kennedy was elected president of the United States. However, October 16, 1962 was the day JFK and his advisers got hold of information that completely stunned them. As president, there are many issues he would need to handle, but the fact America was on the brink of nuclear war was probably something that never crossed his mind. Nuclear war was a frightening thought and JFK had to tackle it to best of his ability. This scary time in America was known as the Cuban Missile Crisis. But through JFK’s smart and fast decision making he practically saved America from nuclear war and eased the tensions between the United States, Soviet Union and Cuba.
While it may be true that Fidel Castro had a strong impact on the uprising of the crisis, it is crucial to consider John F. Kennedy as the person most at fault for the Cuban Missile Crisis. Kennedy, America's president at the time, is often been called the most to blame because he overreacted to the missiles in Cuba. The question is if it was an overreaction or just a precaution for the safety and security of the American people. After the CIA spotted the missiles in Cuba, they informed Kennedy and he immediately called for a “quarantine” on Cuba’s eastern coast, setting up a blockade of ships along the coastline. Although many perceive this as an act of safety and protection, it is also easy to say that it was in fact “an act of aggression”
"Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country," is a well-known quote among Americans that has so much meaning behind it. John F. Kennedy was a president for the United States and loved among many American citizens. His speeches were always thought out and used many rhetoric devices to reel his audience in. Therefore, making his speeches brilliant and known the citizens of America. By going over the main points of rhetoric JFK used in his innagural speech like antithesis, pathos, and the theme one can realize how deep the speech actually is.