Introduction John Fitzgerald Kennedy.docx

Introduction John Fitzgerald Kennedy.docx

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IntroductionJohnFitzgeraldKennedy

Introduction

infull JohnFitzgeraldKennedy,bynameJFK bornMay29,1917,Brookline,Massachusetts,U.S.diedNovember22,1963,Dallas,Texas.

35thpresidentoftheUnitedStates（1961–63）,whofacedanumberofforeigncrises,especiallyinCubaandBerlin,butmanagedtosecuresuchachievementsastheNuclearTest-BanTreatyandtheAllianceforProgress.HewasassassinatedwhileridinginamotorcadeinDallas.

Earlylife

Thesecondofninechildren,Kennedywasrearedinafamilythatdemandedintensephysicalandintellectualcompetitionamongthesiblings—thefamily'stouchfootballgamesattheirHyannisPortretreatlaterbecamelegendary—andwasschooledinthereligiousteachingsoftheRomanCatholicchurchandthepoliticalpreceptsoftheDemocraticParty.Hisfather,JosephPatrickKennedy,hadacquiredamultimillion-dollarfortuneinbanking,bootlegging,shipbuilding,andthefilmindustry,andasaskilledplayerofthestockmarket.Hismother,Rose,wasthedaughterofJohnF.（“HoneyFitz”）Fitzgerald,onetimemayorofBoston.Theyestablishedtrustfundsfortheirchildrenthatguaranteedlifelongfinancialindependence.AfterservingastheheadoftheSecuritiesandExchangeCommission,JosephKennedybecametheU.S.ambassadortoGreatBritain,andforsixmonthsin1938Johnservedashissecretary,drawingonthatexperiencetowritehisseniorthesisatHarvardUniversity（B.S.,1940）onGreatBritain'smilitaryunpreparedness.Hethenexpandedthatthesisintoabest-sellingbook,WhyEnglandSlept（1940）.

Inthefallof1941KennedyjoinedtheU.S.NavyandtwoyearslaterwassenttotheSouthPacific.Bythetimehewasdischargedin1945,hisolderbrother,Joe,whotheirfatherhadexpectedwouldbethefirstKennedytorunforoffice,hadbeenkilledinthewar,andthefamily'spoliticalstandardpassedtoJohn,whohadplannedtopursueanacademicorjournalisticcareer.

JohnKennedyhimselfhadbarelyescapeddeathinbattle.Commandingapatroltorpedo（PT）boat,hewasgravelyinjuredwhenaJapanesedestroyersankitintheSolomonIslands.Maroonedfarbehindenemylines,heledhismenbacktosafetyandwasawardedtheU.S.NavyandMarineCorpsMedalforheroism.Healsoreturnedtoactivecommandathisownrequest.（TheseeventswerelaterdepictedinaHollywoodfilm,PT109[1963],thatcontributedtotheKennedymystique.）However,thefurtherinjurytohisback,whichhadbotheredhimsincehisteens,neverreallyhealed.Despiteoperationsin1944,1954,and1955,hewasinpainformuchoftherestofhislife.HealsosufferedfromAddison'sdisease,thoughthisafflictionwaspubliclyconcealed.“Atleastone-halfofthedayshespentonthisearth,”wrotehisbrotherRobert,“weredaysofintensephysicalpain.”（Afterhebecamepresident,Kennedycombatedthepainwithinjectionsofamphetamines—thenthoughttobeharmlessandusedbymorethanafewcelebritiesfortheirenergizingeffect.Accordingtosomereports,bothKennedyandthefirstladybecameheavilydependentontheseinjectionsthroughweeklyuse.）NoneofthispreventedKennedyfromundertakingastrenuouslifeinpolitics.Hisfamilyexpectedhimtorunforpublicofficeandtowin.

Congressmanandsenator

Kennedydidnotdisappointhisfamily;infact,heneverlostanelection.Hisfirstopportunitycamein1946,whenheranforCongress.Althoughstillphysicallyweakfromhiswarinjuries,hecampaignedaggressively,bypassingtheDemocraticorganizationintheMassachusetts11thcongressionaldistrictanddependinginsteaduponhisfamily,collegefriends,andfellownavyofficers.IntheDemocraticprimaryhereceivednearlydoublethevoteofhisnearestopponent;intheNovemberelectionheoverwhelmedtheRepublicancandidate.Hewasonly29.

KennedyservedthreetermsintheHouseofRepresentatives（1947–53）asabread-and-butterliberal.Headvocatedbetterworkingconditions,morepublichousing,higherwages,lowerprices,cheaperrents,andmoreSocialSecurityfortheaged.InforeignpolicyhewasanearlysupporterofColdWarpolicies.HebackedtheTrumanDoctrineandtheMarshallPlanbutwassharplycriticaloftheTrumanadministration'srecordinAsia.HeaccusedtheStateDepartmentoftryingtoforceChiangKai-shekintoacoalitionwithMaoZedong.“Whatouryoungmenhadsaved,”hetoldtheHouseonJanuary25,1949,“ourdiplomatsandourPresidenthavefritteredaway.”

HiscongressionaldistrictinBostonwasasafeseat,butKennedywastooambitioustoremainlongintheHouseofRepresentatives.In1952heranfortheU.S.Senateagainstthepopularincumbent,HenryCabotLodge,Jr.HismotherandsistersEunice,Patricia,andJeanheld“Kennedyteas”acrossthestate.Thousandsofvolunteersflockedtohelp,includinghis27-year-oldbrotherRobert,whomanagedthecampaign.ThatfalltheRepublicanpresidentialcandidate,GeneralDwightD.Eisenhower,carriedMassachusettsby208,000votes;butKennedydefeatedLodgeby70,000votes.Lessthanayearlater,onSeptember12,1953,KennedyenhancedhiselectoralappealbymarryingJacquelineLeeBouvier（JacquelineKennedyOnassis）.TwelveyearsyoungerthanKennedyandfromasociallyprominentfamily,thebeautiful“Jackie”wastheperfectcomplementtothehandsomepolitician;theymadeaglamorouscouple.

Asasenator,Kennedyquicklywonareputationforresponsivenesstorequestsfromconstituents,exceptoncertainoccasionswhenthenationalinterestwasatstake.In1954hewastheonlyNewEnglandsenatortoapproveanextensionofPresidentEisenhower'sreciprocal-tradepowers,andhevigorouslybackedtheopeningoftheSt.LawrenceSeaway,despitethefactthatoveraperiodof20yearsnoMassachusettssenatororcongressmanhadevervotedforit.

TothedisappointmentofliberalDemocrats,Kennedysoft-pedaledthedemagogicexcessesofSenatorJosephR.McCarthyofWisconsin,whointheearly1950sconductedwitch-huntingcampaignsagainstgovernmentworkersaccusedofbeingcommunists.Kennedy'sfatherlikedMcCarthy,contributedtohiscampaign,andevenentertainedhiminthefamily'scompoundatHyannisPortonCapeCodinMassachusetts.KennedyhimselfdisapprovedofMcCarthy,but,asheonceobserved,“HalfmypeopleinMassachusettslookonMcCarthyasahero.”Yet,ontheSenatevoteovercondemnationofMcCarthy'sconduct（1954）,Kennedyexpectedtovoteagainsthim.Hepreparedaspeechexplainingwhy,buthewasabsentonthedayofthevote.Later,ataNationalPressClubGridirondinner,costumedreporterssang,“Wherewereyou,John,wherewereyou,John,whentheSenatecensuredJoe?

”Actually,Johnhadbeeninahospital,incriticalconditionafterbacksurgery.Forsixmonthsafterwardhelaystrappedtoaboardinhisfather'shouseinPalmBeach,Florida.ItwasduringthisperiodthatheworkedonProfilesinCourage（1956）,anaccountofeightgreatAmericanpoliticalleaderswhohaddefiedpopularopinioninmattersofconscience,whichwasawardedaPulitzerPrizein1957.AlthoughKennedywascreditedasthebook'sauthor,itwaslaterrevealedthathisassistantTheodoreSorensenhaddonemuchoftheresearchandwriting.

BackintheSenate,Kennedyledafightagainstaproposaltoabolishtheelectoralcollege,crusadedforlabourreform,andbecameincreasinglycommittedtocivilrightslegislation.AsamemberoftheSenateCommitteeonForeignRelationsinthelate1950s,headvocatedextensiveforeignaidtotheemergingnationsinAfricaandAsia,andhesurprisedhiscolleaguesbycallinguponFrancetograntAlgerianindependence.

Duringtheseyearshispoliticaloutlookwasmovingleftward.Possiblybecauseoftheirfather'sdynamicpersonality,thesonsofJosephKennedymaturedslowly.GraduallyJohn'sstatureamongDemocratsgrew,untilhehadinheritedthelegionsthathadoncefollowedGovernorAdlaiE.StevensonofIllinois,thetwo-timepresidentialcandidatewhobyappealingtoidealismhadtransformedtheDemocraticPartyandmadeKennedy'srisepossible.

Presidentialcandidateandpresident

KennedyhadnearlybecomeStevenson'svicepresidentialrunningmatein1956.ThecharismaticyoungNewEnglander'snearvictoryandhistelevisedspeechofconcession（EstesKefauverwonthevicepresidentialnomination）broughthimintosome40millionAmericanhomes.Overnighthehadbecomeoneofthebest-knownpoliticalfiguresinthecountry.Alreadyhiscampaignforthe1960nominationhadbegun.Onenewspapermancalledhima“youngmaninahurry.”KennedyfeltthathehadtoredoublehiseffortsbecauseofthewidespreadconvictionthatnoRomanCatholiccandidatecouldbeelectedpresident.Hemadehis1958raceforreelectiontotheSenateatestofhispopularityinMassachusetts.Hismarginofvictorywas874,608votes—thelargesteverinMassachusettspoliticsandthegreatestofanysenatorialcandidatethatyear.

Asteadystreamofspeechesandperiodicalprofilesfollowed,withphotographsofhimandhiswifeappearingonmanyamagazinecover.Kennedy'scarefullycalculatedpursuitofthepresidencyyearsbeforethefirstprimaryestablishedapracticethatbecamethenormforcandidatesseekingthenation'shighestoffice.Totransporthimandhisstaffaroundthecountry,hisfatherboughta40-passengerConvairaircraft.HisbrothersRobert（“Bobby,”or“Bob”）andEdward（“Teddy,”or“Ted”）pitchedin.AfterhavinggraduatedfromHarvardUniversity（1948）andfromtheUniversityofVirginiaLawSchool（1951）,BobbyhadembarkedonacareerasaJusticeDepartmentattorneyandcounsellorforcongressionalcommittees.TedlikewisehadgraduatedfromHarvard（1956）andfromVirginiaLawSchool（1959）.Bothmenwereastutecampaigners.

InJanuary1960JohnF.Kennedyformallya