Skip to Content (press Enter/Return)
Essays
Topics
preview

John F. Kennedy: A Legacy Never Forgotten

Powerful Essays
Open Document
"Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names"(Brainy Quotes). John F Kennedy said this during one of his speeches, and ironically no one will ever forget the name of the person who murdered him, Lee Harvey Oswald, an enemy of the American Public. When Kennedy ran for office, he had to seem like the more experienced candidate and appeal to all of the people. During his speeches, Kennedy engaged his audiences and they hung on his every word. However, the tragic event of his assassination devastated the country and is something that is still talked about and remembered fifty years later. John F. Kennedy had a major impact on the 1960's and today through his election, influential public speeches, and his heartbreaking assassination.
The election of 1960 was an election that could have gone either way. The Republican party nominated Richard Nixon, who was the 47 years old previous vice president, and the Democrats nominated John Fitzgerald Kennedy. John F. Kennedy was the youngest president to run for president in the Democratic party. The people loved him even though he had a lack of experience and was a Catholic Christian. At the beginning of the election Nixon pulled ahead because voters considered him more experienced and mature. Richard Nixon wanted to carry on the Eisenhower administration and told the voters that he would maintain military strength, provide strong leadership, and keep American prestige high. While in office Kennedy vowed to make a difference in the lives of the people by creating new civil rights laws. For the first time, underappreciated Americans started to see hope for the battle for equal rights through Kennedy’s promises. This election was important to the American people because the...

... middle of paper ...

.... 20 Nov. 2013.
Brauer, Carl M. "What John F. Kennedy Meant to Americans." The John F. Kennedy Assassination. Ed. Sylvia Engdahl. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2011. 20-32. Perspectives on Modern World History. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 15 Nov. 2013.
"Campaign of 1960." John F. Kennedy. Presidential Library and Museum, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. .
Freidel, Frank, and Hugh Sidey. "John F. Kennedy." The White House Washington. N.p., 2006. Web. 13 Nov. 2013. .
"Historic Speeches." John F. Kennedy. Presidential Library and Museum, n.d. Web. 
 13 Nov. 2013. .
"John F. Kennedy." Brainy Quote. Bookrags Media Network, 2001. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. .
Get Access
Related
Get Access