Jfk Inaugural Address Essay

Democrat John Fitzgerald Kennedy won the 1960 presidential election with his running mate Lyndon B. Johnson on November 8, 1960. He was inaugurated into office soon thereafter. The inaugural address was crafted by Kennedy and his speechwriter Ted Sorensen. Kennedy had Sorensen study President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address as well as other inaugural speeches. The speech had four major topics of freedom, poverty and oppression, the Cold War and call to greatness while appealing to pathos and logos.
First, President Kennedy emphasized the significance of personal and national freedom as the core principles of democracy. He talked about the era’s fights for civil rights to free other oppressed countries. He talked about the importance of

He presented these initiatives as moral imperatives for Americans and anyone who believe. He also pushed the United Nations to become active in its efforts to abolish poverty and oppression throughout the world. These key themes are captured in the famous phrase "trumpet summons us again ... struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself."
Third, the Cold War was the key international issue at the time. Both sides wanted to expand their influence around the world, as well as through the expansion of nuclear weapons. He made it clear that the U.S. intends to protect freedom and democracy in the western hemisphere.
Lastly, The speech both started and ended with Kennedy's call to Americans to rise up to greatness and reach their full potential, both as individuals and as a nation. He stated that, "The torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans" to fight for the expansion of democratic freedoms and prosperity throughout the world, and to counter any efforts by others to erode human or civil rights. He included one of his most famous lines: "Ask not what your country can do for you -- ask what you can do for your country." He ended his speech by reminding Americans, "Here on earth God's work must truly be our