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John F Kennedy's Influence On Society

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John F Kennedy was a very influential man. He had multiple effects on the American life around him during his time. While researching JFK, I asked myself questions that might have helped me reflect upon his life. One question I asked was “how did JFK differ from other politicians of his time”. Another question I asked was “How did others view Mr. Kennedy’s ideals, and how did this affect his presidency”. In addition to this, my final question was “What did President Kennedy do to improve life for Americans both back then and today?”. These helped me to understand the great influence Mr Kennedy had on not just America, but the entire world possibly. One way that President Kennedy affected society, is how he did a lot to provide a …show more content…

Kennedy stood out from other politicians of his time in many ways. For one, he kept his cool in one of the most stressful times in American history. Signs of this can be seen when the JFK Library states ¨Many respect his coolness when faced with difficult decisions--like what to do about Soviet missiles in Cuba in 1962.¨ ("John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum." John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum , www.jfklibrary.org/.) This shows that John F Kennedy was a man capable of keeping his cool in situations that others may not be able to. Along with that, his campaign was partly promising the security of black rights, something most other politicians had ignored until now. This information is addressed by the U.S News when they state " It seems obvious today that civil rights should be spoken of in universal terms, but at the time many white Americans still saw it as a regional, largely political question. And yet here was the leader of the country, asking 'every American, regardless of where he lives,' to 'stop and examine his conscience.' "("The Story behind JFK's Landmark Civil Rights Speech." US News , www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/robert-schlesinger/2013/06/11/the-story-behind-jfks-1963-landmark-civil-rights-speech.)This shows JFK’s motivation to provide a fair life for everyone in the nation.Furthermore, he wanted to make Americans feel more free than they did currently, which could be seen when …show more content…

However, the way people viewed his ideals influenced his presidency greatly. As an example, many thought of him as someone who could bring in an era of younger thinking, which worked for some people, but some thought this might be a threat to the nation’s security. Examples of this can be seen in the Miller Center’s article, when they claim “For many observers, his presidency came to represent the ascendance of youthful idealism"("John F Kennedy: Life in Brief." Miller Center , millercenter.org/president/kennedy/life-in-brief). I can infer from this that many people would be on opposite sides in this idea of a younger president. In addition, he stood for his ideals even though others disagreed with them. This can be seen when he attempts to support african americans in the JFK library article. An excerpt from the text displays "Kennedy deferred civil rights legislation to avoid alienating southern Democrats"("John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum." John F Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum , www.jfklibrary.org/). This tells me that Kennedy knew some thought his ideas of promoting African American liberties was viewed as questionable by some. However, these pale in comparison to how he was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald did this because he had been conspiring against Kennedy. Evidence supporting this is found in the White House’s article when it proclaims "John Fitzgerald

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