John F. Kennedy

General Info...

• Born: May 29, 1917
• Died: November 22, 1963
• Political Party: Democratic
• Spouse: Jacqueline Kennedy
• Children: Caroline, John F. Kennedy Jr., Patrick, and Arabella
• Home State: Massachucettes

Election & Presidency

• Opponent: Richard Nixon
• Vice President: Lyndon B. Johnson
• Years In Office: 1960-63
• Electoral Votes: 303
• Election Motto: "A Time for Greatness 1960", "We Can Do Better", and "Leadership for the 60's"

Democratic Political Plank: Small Businesses

• The new Democratic Administration will act to make our free economy really free...free from oppression of monopolistic power, and free from the suffocating impact of high interest rates.

Democratic Political Plank: Civil Liberties

• We will oppose any international agreement or treaty which by its terms or practices differentiates among American citizens on grounds of race or religion.

Democratic Political Plank: Veteran's Affairs

• We pledge adequate compensation for those with service-connected disabilities and for the survivors of those who died in service or from service connected disabilities.

The Electoral Map: 1960

Presidential Propaganda

Presidential Roles: JFK

• Chief of State: Succeeded in winning the Space Race against Russia.
• Chief Executive: proposed goals to eliminate communism and encourage civil rights.
• Chief Diplomat: Wanted to financially aid other countries.

Presidential Roles: JFK Con.

• Chief Legislator: Proposed providing medical care for the elderly and federal aid for education.
• Commander In Chief: Solved Cuban Missile Crisis.

Friends of the President

• Abraham Lincolon
• Harry S. Truman
• Dwight D. Eisenhower
• Lyndon B. Johnson

Abraham Lincoln

Harry S. Truman

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Lyndon B. Johnson

Why Would These President's Be Friends?

• Abraham Lincoln, Harry Truman and Kennedy...along with Lyndon Johnson played major roles in the support of civil rights.
• The Space Race began during Eisenhower's tem. Johnson, Eisenhower, and Kennedy heavily supported the space program.

The President's Sidekicks

• Nikita Khrushchev (Leader of Soviet Union)
• Both men were interested in advancing technology in order to achieve space exploration and could use that advancement to "take over the world".

The President's Sidekicks Con.

• Robert Kennedy
• The two Kennedy's are related, both having strong political backgrounds, and were able to strongly influence individuals.

Nikita Khrushchev

Robert Kennedy

The President's Nemesis

Executive Departments

• Health & Human Services...
• HOD: Abraham Ribicoff
• Department of Justice...
• HOD: Burke Marshall

World Events: 1960-63

• Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)
• Space Race (1957-75)
• Bay of Pigs (1961)

Cuban Missile Crisis (1962)

• President John F. Kennedy and the soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev handled the issue of the Cuban Missile Crisis in an appropriate manner.
• It is a common stereotype that when world powers have a disagreement or issue, the leaders of these powers resort immediately to war.

Cuban Missile Crisis Con.

• However, Kennedy and Khrushchev compromise, discussing the argument like civilized men instead of simply "throwing a temper tantrum" and wanting to declare war on one another.

Space Race (1957-75)

• Kennedy desired to win the space race not to merely surpass the Soviet Union in technological advances but also, to restore the confidence of the American people in their country and their president.

Space Race Con.

• I have a sincere interest in the space program. That being said, I agree with the manner in which the Space Race was handled by Kennedy and am glad that he had such great confidence in NASA to succeed in putting the first man (an American citizen) on the moon.

Bay of Pigs (1961)

• Kennedy and Castro may have come to an agreement in the end, but the attacks and counterattacks during the invasion were horrific.
• However, I don't believe that John F. Kennedy is to blame for the incident considering that plans for invasion were already "set in motion" before his inauguration.
• That being said, I believe he did the best he could to resolve the issue.

"There's Been An Alien Invasion!"

• I believe that John F. Kennedy would be extremely interested in aliens from Mars and curious about their technology and what they could potentially "teach" mankind.
• He may be wary of the aliens at first but, I say he would be interested to possibly learn from them because of his involvement with NASA and the "push" for space exploration during his presidential term.

Executive Agency

• Federal Communications Commission (FCC)...
• The regulations of "common carrier services." (telephone, telegraph, & radio wire)
• Broadcast (program) Service
• No Broadcast (safety and special) services

Major Events In U.S. History (1960-63)

• First Sit-In at Woolworth (1960)
• Construction of Berlin Wall Begins (1962)

Woolworth Sit-In (1960)

• Being one of the many leaders that supported progress towards civil rights, Kennedy showed full support and in fact "praised the sit-ins" , claiming that America was going in the right direction.

Construction of Berlin Wall (1962)

• Kennedy neither opposed or supported the construction of the Berlin Wall however, he new that if he made the call to destroy it, it would simply be rebuilt.

Court Cases:

• United States vs. Raines: Civil Rights Case
• This case set precedents for the Civil Rights Movement (1964)

Leaders in the Government:

• Congress: Democratic
• Speaker of the House: John W. McCormack (Democratic)
• Pro Tempore: Carl T. Hayden
• Chief Justice: William Rehnquist (1924 - 2005)

Presidential Rating (1-5)

• In my opinion, John F. Kennedy can be rated as at least a 3. I say this mainly because of my passion for the space program and the major "leap of faith" he took trusting that NASA would be successful.
• Also, I agree with the way he handled both The Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis, However, his term was "cut short" preventing him from fulfilling many promises made to the American people.

The End :)