The Presidential Debates Between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon

Another four years another presidential debate. Before I go on to the current debates let me state a few facts about past ones. The Lincoln and Douglas debate was in important because it started Lincoln presidential career. The Debates lasted from August 21 -- October 15. There where seven of them, with two days to two weeks in between. Each debate lasted three hours; first candidate spoke for one hour; the second for one and a half hours; the first replying for a half hour. Candidates alternated going first. The topics involved where primarily slavery and the Union. Other important debates were the '48 and '57. They were the only debates before 1960; there were no presidential debates between 1960 and 1976. In

President Richard Nixon resigned from office in 1974 which led to President Gerald Ford taking his place. The day of Nixon’s resignation he made a speech to the American people. This speech was to let America know that this was the best thing he could do for the country. The next day Ford was sworn into office and he also gave a speech. This speech shared a similar purpose to the speech given by Nixon the day before. The purposes of these two speeches, although were given for different things, were very similar.

Two past presidents of the United States leading America through tough times and crisis’. Ronald Reagan and John F. Kennedy were two of the most significant leaders in America. Kennedy and Reagan were very popular presidents. When Reagan took office he got shot but it didn’t kill him. Reagan had a lot of integrity in his personal life where Kennedy didn’t. Reagan was faithful to his wife while Kennedy ran around with other women. They were both powerful communicators. Reagan had a greater impact because of the way that he spoke he was able to articulate conservatism in a way that nobody else was able to do. Reagan and Kennedy both led presidencies that were compelling and significant.

A leader should be able to diagnose problems in his country and effectively navigate his people safely through that trouble-spot. President John F . Kennedy was a great leader, who was able to lead the United States through several crises. One prime example of his navigational skills through such hardships is in his dealings with the rise in steel prices in 1962. In his news conference, on the issue of steel price, President Kennedy uses parallelism and juxtaposition to create the idea that the increase in price from the steel companies is detrimental to the United States' economy.

During the 1960 presidential election, the candidates Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy made history by partaking in the first televised debate. The two men both gave their opinions on a multitude of issues and both argued their positions well, but the true argument was among the people who listened to the debate on the radio and the people who watched the debate on television. For those who listened to the debate, Richard Nixon was the clear winner; but, for those who watched the debate, Richard Nixon’s sweaty face appeared uncomfortable in comparison to Kennedy’s calm and collected appearance. This begs the question when is sweat “good/acceptable/attractive” and when is sweat “bad/unacceptable/unattractive”? With the assistance of a simple

Born in 1913 in Yorba Linda, California, Richard Milhouse Nixon was raised in a Quaker home with his four brothers, mother and father. His family led a docile life by abstaining from all dancing, swearing, drinking and other common Quaker practices (Barron 12). Financially, the family struggled and he could not afford to attend Harvard University even with a full-ride scholarship. Instead, Nixon enrolled at Whittier College, a popular Quaker college close to home (Barron 39). Nixon began dominating all of his academics and it was at Whittier where he began to shape his future political career.

The 1966 California gubernatorial election of Ronald Reagan ushered in a new era of unified conservatism and changed the way campaigns were conducted. Ronald Reagan unified a broken Republican Party that had been dealt a serious loss in 1964 at the hands of Lyndon Johnson. Reagan emerged as the party unifier and as the one man who could win against Democratic incumbent Pat Brown. Reagan's campaign and subsequent election changed the way campaigns were done. Running a total campaign as a citizen-politician painted Reagan as the people's candidate, the candidate who could and would bring positive change to the state of California. In 1966 the people of California were fed up with the inaction of the incumbent. While Pat Brown was well-liked,

he would be able to end the war. "We will be able to end the war by a simple

The United States presidential election in 1960 marked the end of the administration of Dwight D. Eisenhower who spent two terms in office. His vice president, Richard Nixon was the Republican candidate, while Democrats nominated Senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy. It should be noted that, this election was the closest vote in a presidential election since 1916 . In the popular vote, the margin of victory of Kennedy, was one of the closest in American history.

The two speeches that were discussed in Germany about the berlin wall are similar but also different from each other. John f. Kennedy’s speech focuses on how he has never heard of a wall being put up to keep the people of Germany a divided continent. He also states that his people in his country take pride in being able to meet the people of West Berlin. To add on he also says “I know of no town, no city, that has been besieged for 18 years that still lives with the vitality and the force, and the hope and the determination of the city of West Berlin”. With that statement it lets people know that berlin is a strong and determined country. John demands freedom and in one of the lines from his speech he says “Freedom is indivisible, and

The 1960 Presidential Election was historic in its new approaches to media and television's ability to capture the future leader of America live for the first time. Previous presidents had been listened to via radio, and seen in retrospect in movie theaters, particularly during World War II, but 1960 was the first time the majority of Americans were able to watch their future President debate his opponent and feel the immediate reactions of the American people afterward. Most Americans received their news by newspaper and word of mouth, so to be able to see the presidential candidate debate live was a luxury of the modern age. It is said now that John F Kennedy potentially won the 1960 election because of his excellent debate performances and how he appeared on television. Richard Nixon, the Vice-President, looked awful as he had foregone make-up, and he was nervous in his responses. The feelings of the time are encapsulated in the newspapers of the time. Comparing and contrasting six different articles from two different points of view will show how newspapers at the time treated this very important election, and how they each react in the immediate aftermath of Kennedy's victory will show what the country was thinking as they voted on that November day.

Our initial question asks why the President is the dominant force in foreign policy making within the U.S. government? A corollary is to ask whether or not the President should be the dominant force in foreign policy. This is an ongoing debate and tension between the Executive and Legislative Branches. First, we should understand that, under our current President, there is strong opinion that he should not be the dominant force for foreign policy. There are at least two opposing points of view regarding the role of the President and foreign policy. If one favors the Executive Branch, one takes the position that the Executive is better able to respond quickly and efficiently to changing conditions in world politics. If one favors the Legislative Branch, one takes the position that the Legislative is better able to consider, review, deliberate, and debate various points of view before deciding what course of action would best serve the interests of the entire nation.

Ketrow, S.M. (1999) Nonverbal aspects of Group Communication. The Handbook of Group Communication Theory and Research, 255.

After the Second World War, the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as superpowers and subsequently a period of tension and hostility arose, known as the Cold War. During this time, a new possibility of complete nuclear destruction that would claim the lives of many emerged, therefore “the easing or relaxing of tensions” on both sides was needed, this period would be known as detente. Both countries had been guaranteed mutually assured destruction as they had both managed to stay ahead in the development of nuclear arsenals. By the late 1960s the Soviets had surpassed the United States in intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) by 1,300 to 1,054. Although the U.S was still

The unrest of the 1960s reached a boiling point in 1968, a year that can be considered the most turbulent year in American history. The tumultuous events that took place in 1968 effectively transformed the face of the nation in every aspect; economically, socially, and politically. Failed military tactics, assassinations, and violent civil rights movements were the defining characteristics of 1968. Despite the few good things that came out of that year, much of 1968 was dedicated to rebuilding the country, tragedy after tragedy. The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, involvement in the Vietnam War, and escalating civil rights movements are a few of the quintessential events that contributed to