President John F.

Kennedy
CALEB FRIENDS
 John F. Kennedy
Lived 1917-1963
Harvard 40
U.S. Navy Reserve 1941-1945
House of Representatives 1947-1953
Senate 1953-1960
President 1961-1963 (35th President)
Kennedys Life
Personal Life
Kennedy spent summers sailing and at
his family compound on Cape Cod. He
later ran his presidential campaign
from that same compound. Growing
up, he was known throughout the
Cape Cod area for his sailing prowess
and sailed competitively for Harvard
while he was a student there.
The Kennedy
Family
JFKs father, Joseph, was also a
politician and encouraged his sons to
follow in his footsteps. This photo
shows John with his father and
brother, Joseph Jr., who also went into
politics. Kennedy also had seven other
siblings with varying levels of
involvement in politics. His brother
Robert served as Attorney General
during Johns Presidency.
The Kennedy
Family
President Kennedy married his wife
Jacqueline (Jackie) in 1953. They are
shown here with their children
Caroline and John Jr. (Brown 83).
The Compound
The Kennedy family compound in Hyannis
Port, Massachusetts was used as the
headquarters of JFKs campaign. It was also
where the Kennedys waited for the election
results.
 Kennedys Presidency
Kennedy is well known for his inaugural address And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your
country can do for you--ask what you can do for your country and his less often referenced My
fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for
the freedom of man.
He worked with Congress to found the Peace Corps in 1961 and before his death, he laid plans for
a massive assault on persisting pockets of privation and poverty (Whitehouse.gov).
 Civil Rights
Kennedy opposed segregation throughout his political career, citing the Catholic belief that it was
morally wrong. By 1963, Alabama was the only state in America not complying with educational
anti-segregation laws. In a showdown with Alabama Governor Wallace, Kennedy mobilized the
National Guard and threatened to arrest the governor if he prevented black students from
registering at the University of Alabama (This Day In History).
 The Cold War
When he took office in 1961, Kennedy inherited plans for the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion of
Cuba. However, he redeemed himself in 1962, performing admirably under pressure during the
Cuban Missile crisis, reducing tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union and laying
the groundwork for disarmament treaties.
His communication with Soviet Premier Khrushchev helped de-escalate the arms race between
their two countries.
The Space Race
Kennedy famously set the goal of an
American man on the moon by 1970,
committing his support to NASA.

Kennedy Space Center in Cape

Canaveral is named for him.
Kennedys Assassination
Kennedy was shot and killed in his convertible
presidential limousine on November 22, 1963.
The Presidency of
John F. Kennedy
35th President (in office 1961-1963)
From JFKs Candidacy Announcement:
The Presidency is the most powerful office in the Free World. Through its leadership can come
a more vital life for our people. In it are centered the hopes of the globe around us for freedom
and a more secure life. For it is in the Executive Branch that the most crucial decisions of this
century must be made in the next four years.
 I think the American people expect more
from us than cries of indignation and attack.
The times are too grave, the challenge too
urgent, and the stakes too high to permit the
customary passions of political debate. We are
not here to curse the darkness, but to light the
candle that can guide us through that
darkness to a safe and sane future.
July 1960 at the Democratic National Convention

Kennedy believed that the president should be decisive.

 Today a restricted concept of the Presidency is
not enough. For beneath today's surface gloss
of peace and prosperity are increasingly
dangerous, unsolved, long postponed
problems.
January 1960 to the National Press Club

Kennedy saw himself as the best solution to the political turmoil of his time.
 Harry Truman once said, 'There are 14 or 15
million Americans who have the resources to
have representatives in Washington to protect
their interests, and that the interests of the
great mass of the other people - the 150 or
160 million - is the responsibility of the
president of the United States, and I propose
to fulfill it. May 1962 at the Convention of Public Auto Workers

Kennedy explained that it was his duty to his country and its people to run for president.
 When at some future date the high court of history sits in
judgment on each of us... our success or failure... will be
measured by the answers to four questions: First, were we
truly men of courage? Secondly, were we truly men of
judgment? Third, were we truly men of integrity? Finally, were
we truly men of dedication?
January 1961 to the Massachusetts State Legislature

By holding himself to a high standard, President Kennedy sought to inspire the people he
led to achieve that standard, too.
Accepting the
Democratic
Nomination
Kennedy was not afraid to call out his
predecessor, President Dwight D.
Eisenhower, for weakness or
indecisiveness. When running against
Eisenhower, Kennedy took advantage
of the sitting president's cautiousness
to turn the public against him.
JFK saw running for president as his
responsibility to his country. He
understood that with the office of the
president comes immense responsibility
to all Americans, whether they voted for
him or not. Kennedy understood the
presidency as a job that requires self
sacrifice for the sake of the nation. He
believed that the presidents before him
took passive roles, and that his own
campaign could bring much needed
change to the White House.
John F. Kennedys
Death and Legacy
President Kennedys Death
Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald while in Dallas on a political trip. He was shot
on November 22, 1963 and died only half an hour later.

Kennedys death was a shock to the nation. Many Americans who were alive at the time refer to
it as they do 9/11, remembering where they were or what they were doing when they first
heard that Kennedy had been shot.
Aftermath of Kennedys Assassination
Oswald was killed only two days later by Jack Ruby, meaning that Oswald, who professed his
own innocence (claiming he was framed for the presidents murder) did not have a chance to
stand trial.
Funeral
President Kennedys body was moved from Dallas to Washington and his state funeral spanned
several days following his death. Over two-hundred fifty thousand people attended the public
viewing which went through the night to accommodate the massive crowd. Over one thousand
guests attended the funeral ceremony including former presidents Eisenhower and Truman, and
Kennedys remains were buried in Arlington Cemetery.
Kennedys Last Year
Kennedys sudden death came as a shock to the nation. In his final year in office he had taken
dramatic steps to abolish educational segregation, had devoted government resources to the
space race, helping to build a popular symbol of American strength. Barely a month before his
death, Kennedy resolved the Cuban Missile Crisis, pulling the United States and the Soviet Union
back from the brink of nuclear war.
Historical Memory
Because President Kennedy was killed when he was just 46 years old, before the end of his first
presidential term, much of his legacy is the things he started but did not finish. Kennedys
untimely death meant that while he is remembered for a few great actions, he is primarily
remembered for his ideals. Kennedy might eventually have been criticized for not entirely
following through on his stated ideals, however, as we will see later in this slideshow, his
historical memory is overwhelmingly positive.
Popular Memory
A study cited in Making JFK Matter, suggests that President Kennedys death contributed
positively to his legacy, making the American people more willing to overlook his flaws and see
him as a great leader. The tendency to make JFK the protagonist of our greatest hopes for the
country and the world has presented a problem for historians. Whether Americans high regard
for his presidency result from the belief that he was a great president, lingering sadness over his
death, or our preference to remember the past as a happier time than the present, the fact
remains that public opinion of JFK has moved in the opposite direction from the consensus of
the historical community (Making JFK Matter, 315).
Conspiracy Theories
Kennedys assassination has been a focal point for conspiracy theorists, some claiming that
Oswald really was framed, others that Oswald was guilty, but did not act alone. Some even
speculate that his murder was orchestrated by the CIA. A poll conducted by Fox News in 2003,
forty years after the assassination, found that 66% of Americans believed Kennedys death was
part of a larger conspiracy.
Arms Race
While Kennedy advocated for an end to the Cold War arms race, the United States produced
huge numbers of weapons and was better armed than ever before during his presidency. While
he laid the groundwork for disarmament, Kennedy is often given credit for accomplishments
that took place after his death.
Jackie
After Johns death, his wife Jackie spent many
years curating her late husbands image. It is
due to her influence that so many places
throughout the United States are named for
her husband, including the Kennedy Space
Center in Cape Canaveral and John F. Kennedy
International Airport in New York City.
Other Family
The Kennedy family has stayed involved in politics since Johns death. His brother Robert, who
served as Johns attorney general was assassinated in 1968 during his own presidential
campaign. Ted Kennedy, also JFKs brother, served in the Senate until 2009.
Quotations
Kennedy is often remembered today for the memorable, if sometimes vague, lines placed
throughout his speeches. These lines litter high school yearbooks and motivational speeches,
spreading through American culture. However, Kennedy regularly plagiarized other politicians
words and, when he did cite his sources, misquoted them. According to the Washington Post,
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing, which Kennedy
attributed to British philosopher Edmund Burke was judged the most popular quotation of
modern times in a poll conducted by editors of The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. Even
though it is clear by now that Burke is unlikely to have made this observation, no one has ever
been able to determine who did (Washington Post). While President Kennedy may simply have
been stretching some rules to get his point across, many of the words that make him so well
known today were not his own.
The 1960 Presidential
Election
The Candidates
Democratic Candidate: Senator John F. Kennedy (with vice presidential candidate Lyndon B.
Johnson)
Republican Candidate: Vice President Richard M. Nixon (with vice presidential candidate Henry
Cabot Lodge Jr.)
Election Results
In one of the closest presidential elections in
United States history, Kennedy defeated Nixon
winning 303 electoral votes to Nixons 219.
Nixon won his home state of California along
with the entire west coast and most of the
north west for a total of 26 states to Kennedys
22. Mississippi and Alabama were won by
Senator Byrd. Byrd was not a candidate, but
received 15 electoral votes from unpledged
electors.
Religion and the Implications of
Kennedys Election
During his campaign Kennedy gave a speech about religion, proclaiming I am not the Catholic
candidate for president. I am the Democratic Party's candidate for president, who happens also
to be a Catholic. While his Catholicism did drive some Protestants to vote for Nixon, Kennedy
won overwhelmingly in Catholic areas nullifying the advantage his religion gave his opponent.
As the first Catholic and youngest president elected in United States history, Kennedy broke the
traditional mold of American presidents. While he did come from a wealthy family with a
political background, his perceived outsider status painted him as an advocate for under-
represented groups. Additionally, by publicly supporting Martin Luther King Jr. just weeks before
the election, Kennedy cemented the support of black voters across America.
The Debates
There were four presidential debates total, focusing primarily on the United States relationship
with Russia. The candidates varied minimally in their responses both trending towards the
same policies to safeguard the nation against the Soviet Union. Nixon even admitted in the first
debate I subscribe completely to the spirit that Senator Kennedy has expressed tonight. Nixon
is often criticized for failing to take advantage of Eisenhowers popularity, and he lost
momentum after a tired Eisenhower told reporters he could not think of anything good about
his vice president. JFK exploited the sitting administrations failure to keep up with the Soviets in
the Space Race, promising to reprioritize NASA.
Naval experience
Kennedys naval career, where he not only saw
active combat but also was wounded and
heroically saved the men he commanded,
helped present him as a strong and capable
Commander in Chief. This was a key selling
point for many voters.
A Magazine
Cover Reporting
the Debates
Televised Debates
While presidential debates had been broadcast by radio in elections past, 1960 was the first year
that the debates were televised. All four debates were broadcast live, and in one case the two
candidates argued from separate identically set studios on opposite sides of the country.
Kennedy is credited with a stronger television performance than Nixon, especially in the first
debate where Nixon reportedly looked sickly. Because television was introduced into the election
process, these debates set the stage for modern presidential campaigns. Kenneys stronger
television presence, particularly in the most watched first debate, is often credited with swinging
the voters that created his close margin of victory.
Military Strength
While in the later years of his presidency, Kennedy began work to reduce nuclear weapons in the
United States and the Soviet Union, during his campaign he promised that if elected he would
make sure the United States was better armed than the Soviets, who had made technological
advances that worried many Americans during the Eisenhower presidency. While Kennedy did
follow through on his campaign promise, arming US forces better than any president before him,
he also set the stage for nuclear disarmament treaties with the Soviet Union.
Family Fortune, Family Campaigning
JFK utilized his familys wealth and influence to widen the reach of his campaign.

He often had his wife and siblings advocating for him while on the campaign trail so his message
could be heard in multiple places simultaneously. Nixon later described running against
Kennedy as analogous to a single store trying to compete with a national chain.
The Buttons that Sum up Kennedys
Campaign
The Buttons that Sum up Kennedys
Campaign
Works Cited
Campaign of 1960. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, www.jfklibrary.org/JFK/JFK-in-History/Campaign-of-1960.aspx.

Freidel, Frank, and Hugh Sidey. "John F. Kennedy." The White House. The United States Government, 08 Mar. 2017. Web. 13 August 2017.

History.com Staff. The Kennedy-Nixon Debates. History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2010, www.history.com/topics/us-presidents/kennedy-nixon-debates.

Kennedy, John F. "President Kennedy's Inaugural Address." John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, n.d. Web. 13
August 2017.

Staff, History.com. "JFK Faces Down Defiant Governor." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 13 August 2017.

Wicker, Tom. Kennedy Is Killed by Sniper. New York Times, Late City Edition ed., 22 Nov. 1963, www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/big/1122.html.

270towin.com Staff. 1960 Presidential Election. Presidential Election of 1960, www.270towin.com/1960_Election/.

Images:

"JFK Media Gallery." John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, n.d. Web. 1 July 2017.

I Told You So. Pinimg, i.pinimg.com/564x/1b/d3/a0/1bd3a072617575b71f0bfcdc24c21bab.jpg.

JBK Time Cover. Arlington Cemetery,

JFK Open Top Limousine . NY Daily News, assets.nydailynews.com/polopoly_fs/1.1524505!/img/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_635/image-1-1524505.jpg.