John F.

Kennedy
Samantha Phillips April 30, 2012

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John Fitzgerald Kennedy was named in honor of his mothers father, John Francis Fitzgerald. Soon, family and friends started calling JFK, Jack. I always wondered why I heard people calling JFK, President Jack Kennedy. I was like whos Jack Kennedy? I had no idea it was a nick name. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was a very sick baby. He suffered from many childhood diseases such as: whooping cough, measles, chicken pox, and scarlet fever. About a month after getting scarlet fever JFK got better. He was able to enjoy a very comfortable life. He had everything he needed and more. The Kennedys were a very rich family. At the end of every school year the Kennedys went to their summer home in Cape Cod. The Kennedy children played hard and enjoyed competing with each other. JFK was the only sibling who posed any real threat to Joes Dominant position as the oldest child. At Choate, a boarding school for adolescent boys, JFK was popular and had many friends. He played multiple sports and also enjoyed reading. He graduated from Choate and entered Harvard in 1936, where his brother Joe was already a student. JFK played football like his brother, but while playing one day JFK ruptured a disk in his spin. He never fully recovered and had problems with his back for the rest of his life. Mr. Kennedy had high hopes for both JFK and Joe. It was Joe who announced as a young boy that he would be the first Catholic to become President. When Mr. Kennedy moved to England as the US Ambassador to England, JFK became interested in European politics and world affairs. By the time WWII began, JFK had decided to write his thesis on why Great Britain was unprepared for war with Germany. After graduating from Harvard, both Joe and John joined the Navy. John was made Lieutenant and assigned to the South Pacific as commander of a patrol torpedo boat. One night a Japanese destroyer crashed into the boat and split the boat in half. Most of his men managed to jump off as the boat went up in flames. Kennedy was slammed into the cockpit, injuring his weak back. One of his crew members was burned really bad and was giving up, but Kennedy managed to find him and haul him back to where the rest of the survivors were. Despite his injuries Kennedy was able to tow his burned crew member to shore at sunrise. About a week

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later the survivors were rescued. Joe Kennedy was not so lucky; he died a year later when his place blew up. I thought he was very brave especially when he has a hurt back. This is what prompted John Kennedy to become President. Soon after being elected senator JFK married Jacqueline Bouvier. He then had two back operations soon after. While recovering he wrote a book. His first child was born in 1957. He was becoming a very popular politician. In 1956 JFK was almost picked to run for Vice President. Then, Kennedy decided to run for President in the next election. He was nominated as the Democratic party candidate. He was sworn in as the 35th President on January 20, 1961. At the age of 43, he was the youngest man elected President as well as the first Catholic elected President. A famous quote from his inaugural speech is: Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country. During his Presidency, John F. Kennedy had many important issues to deal with. He had to deal with the possibility of nuclear war, space exploration, the spread of democracy, the Peace Corps, and racial discrimination. On November 21, 1963 JFK flew to Texas to give several political speeches. The next day, as his car drove through Dallas JFK was shot. He was seriously wounded and died soon after. JFKs death caused a lot of sadness and grief among all Americans. Many people gathered in Washington and many others gathered around TVs to watch his funeral. Through the years JFKs presidency stands out among all the rest. This article made me realize that JFK went through many difficulties to become President. He was a very important figure in the history of the United States. I think that JFK made a huge difference in the United States and even throughout the world.