John F. Kennedy: An Influential Person

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John Fitzgerald Kennedy led the start of a new era in human history. He was born on May 29, 1917 in the small Boston suburb of Brookline, Massachusetts. He majored in government and international relations at Harvard University. In 1961 Kennedy served as President until his assassination in 1963. John F. Kennedy influenced and touched the lives of people everywhere through his efforts with the Apollo 11 space mission, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the founding of the Peace Corps.
Kennedy was influenced by his previous accomplishments, world conditions, and his brother’s untimely death. Before John F. Kennedy’s accomplishments he was a war hero. He won the Navy and Marine Corps medal as a skipper PT boat during World War II. He led his crew to safety after a Japanese destroyer cut his boat in half. He also became a Senator and a US Representative. The end of World War II in 1945 resulted in the beginning of the nuclear era, increased pressure to decolonize the Third World, and the advent of the Cold War. His brother, Joe, was expected to become the family politician and after his death, in 1944, John decided to take his brother’s place. As Kennedy said, “’Just as I went into politics because Joe died, if anything happens to me tomorrow, my brother Bobby would run for my seat in the Senate. And if Bobby died, Teddy would take over for him’” (Kennedy 262). This is how Kennedy started his legacy as one of the most influential persons in history.
The space race, Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Peace Corps all help contribute to President Kennedy’s success as an influential person in history. Apollo 11, part of the space race, was set in place by President Kennedy in 1961 to perform a moon landing and to return safely to Ear...

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Sherman, Brad. “Stopping Iran’s Nuclear Program.” Vital Speeches Of The Day 74.2 (2008): 66-68. History Reference Center. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
"The Peace Corps Honors President John F. Kennedy's Legacy on the 50th Anniversary of His Death." Peace Corps. US Government, 22 Nov. 2013. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. .
Sambaluk, PhD, Micholas Michael. "John F. Kennedy and the Race to the Moon." Air & Space Power Journal 27.5 (2013): 156-58. Print.
The Theodore Roosevelt Paper Projects. George Washington University, n.d. Web. 22 Nov. 2013. .
The White House. United States Goverment, n.d. Web. 21 Nov. 2013. .

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