Introduction
John F Kennedy was the first American Citizen to become president among the people that were born in the twentieth century. At the age of forty-three, he became the thirty-fifth president of the United States of America. John F Kennedy attended Harvard University and graduated with Bachelor of Science in International Affairs. As the prodigy of a politician and businessman, John F Kennedy got an opportunity to travel around America and around the world. His father Jack, Snr, was the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom. The Kennedy family was in the House of Commons when British politicians were making war speeches on Declaration of War to Germany in 1941. John F Kennedy enlisted in the army, but he did not qualify. He joined the navy and was dispatched to Panama. John F Kennedy was elected as the 35th president in 1961. During his tenure as the president of the United States of America, he is associated with the Cuban missile crisis, the Bay of Pig's crisis, the building of the berlin wall, the Vietnam War and the Space race. He succeeded in the Apollo project that succeeded in the sending the first human being, Neil Armstrong, into the surface of the moon. John F Kennedy was assassinated in 1963. John F Kennedy has a high reputation in the American society, although his name is not accompanied by the same reputation in the Academic circles. After his death details of his extramarital affairs came into the public. The public also discovered that John F Kennedy had health complications that almost caused the demise of his political career. Jon F Kennedy was the first American President who was a catholic since George Washington was sworn in as president.
Early Life
John F Kennedy was born in a time when American forces were in battle during the First World War in 29th May 1917. He was the son of the Joseph Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald. Kennedy was born in a family of immigrants from Ireland. His elder brothers participated in the First World War and several of them were killed by the enemy fire. John F Kennedy, also known as Jack lived in the Brookline for around ten years and attended the Edward devotion school. His family moved to 5040 Independence Avenue and but two years later relocated to another part of the New York town. Jack’s early life was characterized by the movement from one place to another during his schooling years between first grade and eighth grade. He attended Choate school in Connecticut in September 1931. He joined his brother Joe who was a stellar student in Choate school and was also good in sports. In high school, he hid his rebellious nature behind the shadow of his brother. His notorious stunts were, however, curbed by the strict headmaster. He graduated from the Choate School in Connecticut in 1935 and at the same year he was voted as the most likely student to succeed in life. He accompanied his father in an international trip to London, in 1935. He however returned to the United States of America due to health problems. He enrolled at the Princeton University late in 1935 but was again hospitalized in the Boston. At this time, health complications seemed to hinder his education. He spent the year 1935 under hospitalization.
John F Kennedy enrolled at Harvard University in 1936. At Harvard University, he started the Freshman Smoker. The program depicted outstanding personalities in sporting, radio and television. In the university, John F Kennedy was active in sports; he tried out swimming and football. He succeeded in garnering a spot in the swimming team. In 1937, John F Kennedy toured France with his friend billing. He also travelled to Europe in the same year and joined his family in London. In 1939, John F Kennedy travelled to the Soviet Union in order to prepare for his Harvard Seniors thesis. He also travelled to Germany, the Balkans and the Middle East. He returned to London the day before the Germany forces invaded Poland. The Kennedy’s family was present in the House of Commons, in solidarity with the United Kingdom as it declared war on Germany. John F Kennedy completed his senior year in 1940. He had written a thesis entitled ‘The Appeasement of Munich’ which became a national bestseller after it was published under a different title. After he finished his undergraduate degree, he joined the Stanford Graduate Business School to take auditing classes.
The World War Two
In September 1941, John F Kennedy attempted to enlist in the army but was unsuccessful because of his chronic back problems. He instead enrolled in the United Navy. He joined the navy with the influenced of the then director of Naval Intelligence Office who had been an attaché of his father. He joined the naval training center at Rhodes Island where he was trained on operating a boat Squadron. He was sent to military duty in Panama and was later dispatched to the Pacific theatre. In 1963, John F Kennedy’s boat was rammed by a Japanese Destroyer. John F Kennedy gathered the survivors on a boat in order to vote on whether to win or to surrender. The men elected to surrender because of the magnitude of the defeat they were to face. As a result, they swam to a nearby Island. Kennedy took part in the marine rescue that in Choisel Island. He was injured during the Japanese collision and was hospitalized in Arizona in 1941. He was released from Hospital a day before the unconditional surrender of the Japanese forces. In a period of four years John F Kennedy received numerous military accolades. Among the military medals that he was awarded with was the Purple Heart and the World War Two Victory. He was regarded as a world war hero across the United States of America.
Political Career
During the Second World War, his brother was killed in the operation Aphrodite. His brother was regarded as a political flag bearer of the family. John F Kennedy ran for Congress representative after James Curley vacated his seat for the position of the mayor in the 11th Congressional District of Massachusetts. He won the seat over his republican opponent with a wide margin. John Kennedy went on to serve as a congressman for six years. He ran for the 1952 Congressional senatorial seat and won. John F Kennedy spent most of this time as a senator in the hospital because of his ill health. He underwent several spinal operations in the course of two years. He was critically ill and received the catholic last rites. He later recovered and published ‘The profiles of Courage’, a book that won the Pulitzers. The book discussed the personal lives of the politicians who risked their careers in pursuit of personal beliefs. He was nominated for the Vice president ticket but came second. His father attributed his lose to the Catholicism. The 1952 presidential election gave John F Kennedy the national exposure that he required to fan his political career. The Civil Rights Act of 1957 brought John F Kennedy the public exposure that he needed in his political career. He casted a procedural vote on the bill allowing some accepting some provisions and rejecting others. John F Kennedy was reelected in the senatorial bid of 1958. During this period, his personal secretary made a film on his personal life story.
Presidential election
John F Kennedy decided to run for the presidency in the 1960 presidential election. He faced stiff challenges from his Democratic counterparts. His greatest challenger was Hubert Humphrey. He made the New Frontier speech in the Democratic National Convention. In a speech he stated that although the world war had been won, there were challenges that were to be faced in the future. John F Kennedy faced his Republican opponent in the first television presidential debate. Richard Nixon appeared tense in the debate with his five o’clock shadow appearing to perspire. John F Kennedy appeared composed. The television viewers regarded Kennedy as the winner of the presidential debate. In the election, John Kennedy won by a slight margin of 49.5 percent to 47.5 percent of the total votes that were garnered by his opponent in the ballot. John F Kennedy was voted in as the youngest president in the history of the American presidential election.
Presidency
In his inaugural speech, he urged Americans to be active citizens and contribute positively to their country’s development. In his Inaugural speech, John F Kennedy exuded confidence that Administration will make great strides. The majority of the people expected John F Kennedy to drastically reduce the taxes. He instead adopted a tax compromise that allowed him to ensure a stable economic growth. The economy grew with over 5.5% during his tenure as president. John F Kennedy became the president of the United States of America at a time when the world was at the verge of a world war. The political climate was riddled with the ever growing tension between the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Kennedy urged for negotiation between the two sides to avoid the cataclysmic disaster of a nuclear war. He met with the Soviet leader who despised him for appearing too weak to act on the Soviet Union. Kennedy returned from the negotiations and urged the Congress to increase the funding for the military. He instructed the United States military to become ready for a nuclear war, which he considered to be at the offing.
During John F Kennedy’s tenure, the two world powers came to a near military confrontation during the Cuban Missile crisis. The Soviet Union had transferred its ballistic missiles and placed them at the Cuban territory. The Soviet Union claimed that they were reinforcing the Cuban defense against a future American invasion. The United States government interpreted the construction of the military sites in Cuba as a direct threat from the Soviet Union. John Fitzgerald Kennedy ordered the removal of all the military installations from Cuba and the withdrawal of the Soviet troops from the Cuban territory. John F Kennedy states that any attack from the Cuban forces would be interpreted as a direct military assault from the Soviet Union. The United States military would respond to the threat of peace accordingly. The approval rates of Kennedy were high compared to the recent American president. At one time during the Cold War, his approval rate reached eighty-six percent.
John F Kennedy was committed to the full realization of the world peace. He helped in the formation of a Joint military alliance with the state of Israel. The joint military cooperation that exists today between the US and the State of Israel stemmed from the diplomatic activities of the Kennedy Administration. It was during this time the state of Israel made nuclear arms in the pretext of constructing a nuclear plant for the purposes of extracting drinking water from the ocean. Kennedy toured the allied nations during his tenure as the President. He was the first American president to visit the Irish Parliament. He visited Ireland as a way of reconnecting with his ancestry. In berlin, he reiterated his commitment for the world peace and urged the Soviet leader to stop the construction of berlin wall. John F Kennedy stated that he was a citizen of berlin. John F Kennedy further stated that the United States of America was willing to negotiate and as a consequence John Fitzgerald Kennedy proposed the formation of a direct communication line to allow the communication of leaders between Washington and Moscow to alleviate the tensions between the two nations. He stated that the greatest risk that the world faced was an accidental war between the two superpowers. The accidental war could be avoided by effective communication between the two powers. He suggested for the drafting of the Nuclear Test Ban treaty between the Soviet Union and the US. He, however, stated categorically that the United States government would stop testing nuclear warheads if the Soviet Union ceased doing the same. The Soviet Union tested a nuclear warhead and the United States made another nuclear test five days later. John F Kennedy is considered to have been successful as a president both in the international arena and the domestic setting. He initiated a tax reform policy that led to the reduction of the most taxes that are directly affecting the public. John F Kennedy’s tax reforms not only reduced the burden on the American nation but also set a precedent for economic growth during his tenure as the president.
John F Kennedy Joined the Soviet Union in the space race. At the American university, he stated that the within that decade the United States of America would be the first country to send a man to the moon. He started making efforts that would later culminate into the space mission that took Neil Armstrong to the moon in 1969. John F Kennedy was accused on interfering with the democratic governance of Latin American countries through the facilitation of coups by the CIA. At the Age of 46, John F Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas Texas. John Ruby was blamed for the murder of the youngest American president. The majority of the Americans believed that John F Kennedy was assassinated as part of a wider political conspiracy.
People view John F Kennedy as a war hero. They view him as one of the most successful presidents that the United States of America. The young generation viewed him as an icon of inspiration. His ambition to ensure that America was the first country to go to the moon materialized in 1969. He proved to the young generation of the 20th Century that one could achieve anything provided the individual took the necessary steps towards its achievement. He has a good reputation as a public orator. People have a vivid memory of his 1961 inaugural speech where he motivated the American people to take responsibility of their government and avoid relying on help from the government to do everything for them.
Embarrassing details about his private life emerged later after he was assassinated. John F Kennedy was involved in extra marital affairs with multiple women during his political career. He maintained a positive relationship with the press to ensure that the details of his affairs did not come out to the public. In spite of his family weakness, John F Kennedy comes out as an American leader who championed for Peace in the American Hemisphere and a leader who curbed the Soviet Union’s Influence on Latin America. He dealt effectively with the Cuban Missile Crisis and, therefore, placing the US at an advantage during the Cold War.
Works Cited
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Buglossi, Vincent. Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. New York: W. W. Norton, 2007.
Dallek, Robert. An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917 - 1963. New York: Little Brown, 2008.
Gunderson, Megan. John F. Kennedy. New York: ABDO, 2010.
Helen, Frost. John F. Kennedy. New York: Capstone, 2005.
Kennedy, John. Profiles in Courage. New York: HarperCollins, 2011.
Kennedy, Robert. Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis. New York: W. W. Norton, 2011.
MacCaul, Martin. Russia, America and the Cold War, 1949-1991. New York: Pearson/Longman, 2008.
McGinnis, Joe. The Last Brother. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2009.
Sheehan, Sean. The Cold War. New York: Black Rabbit Books, 2003.
