The Presidential Issues of the Sixties and Seventies

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.

The U.S. President is an emblematic leader of our country and to the world, he uses rhetoric in his everyday life to efficiently convey his logic and plans to the public and congress. One of the crucial events in history took place the day John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th president of the United States. Although the world was in turmoil with communism spreading throughout the world’s powerful nations and weapons of mass destruction being created by the world powers. John F. Kennedy was a leader of the American citizens and symbolized an order of peace. John F. Kennedy was a young leader that brought reassurance to the world and addressed the nation that his term as president would be one of great change and ambition. John F. Kennedy

The 1960s in America was a decade filled with controversy and calls for change. During John F. Kennedy’s time as president, an era of protest and rebellion was underway. Race riots, anti-war protests, and an uptick in drug usage plagued the lifestyles of many Americans. Lyndon B. Johnson ascended to presidency as a result of Kennedy’s assassination, and unfortunately inherited these problems. Johnson was successful working with domestic social and economic issues, but the inability to deal with the Vietnam and the political scheme scheme as a whole stained his resume as an effective president.

The presidential election of 1960 fell right in the time of a heated Cold War with the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union also had just taken a lead in the space race by launching the Sputnik satellite (“Kennedy-Nixon Debates – U.S. Presidents”). The stress of the spread of communism and the issues with civil rights and desegregation had divided the nation. This raised a lot of questions about democracy in the United States. At this time in history there was a deep need for strong leadership, and ultimately this leadership would come from John F. Kennedy.

John Dallek’s authorship has intensively inquired about many presidents, evaluating their entire lives, personal and political. With his work comprising of many presidential biographies, Dallek has payed tribute to one man who consistently tops the charts of America’s Favorite President on frequent; the dearly beloved President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Serving from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963, Kennedy had a large impact on a multitude of people around the world, making numerous bold changes in the United States’ domestic living whilst trying to prevent Communism and nuclear weapons

The 1960s were about progress and community, which is evident by the near constant protests that occurred at the time. In the 70s, there was a push-back against the civil rights progress in favor of returning to a 50's esque society, promoted by the white-working class, which caused many to become frustrated and angry at the state of the country.

The Sixties, by Terry H. Anderson, takes the reader on a journey through one of the most turbulent decades in American life. Beginning with the crew-cut conformity of 1950s Cold War culture and ending with the transition into the uneasy '70s, Anderson notes the rise of an idealistic generation of baby boomers, widespread social activism, and revolutionary counterculture. Anderson explores the rapidly shifting mood of the country with the optimism during the Kennedy years, the liberal advances of Johnson's "Great Society," and the growing conflict over Vietnam that nearly tore America apart. The book also navigates through different themes regarding the decade's different currents of social change; including the anti-war movement, the civil

Charismatic, attractive and an ideal politician and president, are the words commonly used to describe president John F. Kennedy who served from 1961-1963 as the 35th president of the United States. However, the image often associated with him allows Americans to forget that John F. Kennedy was a president of many faults.The first fault being, the Southern Strategy in the 1960s, which showed his ability to manipulate large groups of people as a politician. Another fault is his continuous determination that led the United States towards the war in Vietnam. The fault most commonly associated with his presidency is the invasion of Cuba, which led to the death of 1,000s of Americans, and initiated the Soviet Union to seek a Nuclear War. One of his greatest faults was his own determination, John F. Kennedy increased the amount of aid sent to South Vietnam, because he wanted to stop the spread of Communism. However, this triggered the Soviet Union to aid the North and these actions eventually led the United States closer to the Vietnam War. The president approved the assassination of Diem, which led to South Vietnam’s fall into political chaos, and eventually led the United States to the Vietnam War. These events and actions show how, ultimately John F. Kennedy remembered for being ideal, was not truly what he made himself out to be.

President John F. Kennedy entered the White House in 1961 with confidence that instability in the developing world posed the greatest risk to the national security of the United States (Nuemen). Kennedy planned to resist Soviet expansionism in Latin America, Asia, and Africa by abandoning Eisenhower's policy of massive retaliation in favor of a flexible response, combining economic support with military assistance (Nuemen).

B. Support for #3: President Kennedy was most well-known for the Cuban Missile Crisis which began on October 14, 1962 and ended peacefully on October 28, 1962. The Cuban Missile Crisis was the closest America had ever come to nuclear war (Reeves). President Kennedy wanted to put an end to racial discrimination.

The sixties were a time of questioning and rebellion. The baby boomer generation was born into the most powerful, affluent, and influential nation in the history of mankind. Despite this, baby boomers were asked to fight in a foreign war, conform to societal norms, and accept institutional change in their lives. John Ketwig, Bill Ayers, and Robert Coles all showed in their own way the crumbling of American institutions in the sixties due to the belief that the US government was not working for its people. No other time in American history saw so much activity in terms of political and social movements and it brought the country into the age of questioning and rebellion which remains today.

John F. Kennedy made many important decisions during the Cold War. One of his big decisions was to start the American space program. With the birth of NASA, America could begin its journey to space and eventually the moon. The Cold War was one of the government 's biggest defence priorities, this led Kennedy to think of all his actions for better or for worse, and explore all possibilities of all his options. The Soviets during this time were just as scared of America as we were of them, even more so in the case because we had a much stronger government during this time. Kennedys presidency was affected in many ways because of all these factors.

“My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over”, this quote is by President Gerald Ford in addressing the nation in 1974. He is addressing the nation after President Nixon was impeached. This was not the only scandal plaguing the seventies. The seventies were full with right movements. Feminist revitalised their movements and gays truly started their movements. The seventies had a great impact on the lives of Americans. Major events impacted the lives of Americans in three major aspects, technical, political, and social.

Of the many historical eras, the 1960 era is regarded as one of the most controversial eras ever in the history of America. However, this was not the anticipation that most of American citizens had. At the very beginning of the 1960s, many believed that this was perhaps the most promising era yet. They even dubbed this era the golden age. The expectations of the people intensified in 1961 when John F. Kennedy took the office of the president. His charisma and enthusiasm won the hearts and trust of the American people. They strongly believed that his government would provide solutions to the major problems that they were facing at the time. However, to the surprise of many, the decade turned out to be the complete opposite of what they had

The Sixties were an exciting revolutionary period with great cultural change. Some people called it the “decade of discontent” (Britannica) due to the race riots in Detroit and La, and the demonstrations against the Vietnam War. Other people called it the decade of “peace, love, and harmony” (Woodstock 69). This decade was identified as such as a result of the peace movement and the emergence of the flower children. (Britannica) The sixties were about assassination, unforgettable fashion, new styles of music, civil rights, gay and women’s liberation, Vietnam, Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, peace marches, sexual freedom, drug experimentation, and Woodstock. All of these components caused a revolutionary change in the