n July 1963, President John F. Kennedy made a speech to the American that addressed the Limited Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. In his statement, JFK stated that: the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain agreed to stop testing nuclear weapons on the ground, in the air, in space, or in any bodies of water. Instead, these countries had come to a consensus that it would only be legal to test nuclear weapons below ground level. In addition, JFK also addressed the threats that led to this pact. President Kennedy gave this speech to demonstrate the dangers of the arms race and to convince the American people that this treaty was the first step in disarmament in nuclear weapons and peace. The first and one of the most menacing …show more content…
Kennedy explained that if the arms race expanded; more countries would have the knowledge and power to produce nuclear weapons. In fact, if nuclear weapons spread to more countries, more problems in the world would ensue. Kennedy argued the severity of these problems, when he stated, “There would be no rest for anyone then, no stability, no real security, and no chance of effective disarmament. There would only be the increased chance of accidental war.” (Kennedy, 3) Because of the expansion of nuclear weapons, Kennedy argued that the world would only be in a state of turmoil, fear, death, and destruction. To emphasize this point, Kennedy demonstrated the destructive power of nuclear weapons. Kennedy stated, “...one bomb could release more destructive power on the inhabitants on of that one helpless city than all the bombs dropped in the Second World War.” (Kennedy, 4) This statement by Kennedy truly exemplifies the power of nuclear weapons because it shows it simply could wipe out any city with ease. Kennedy stated this new treaty could potentially produce new treaties to buffer the spread of nuclear weapons. Kennedy argued, “We have a great obligation, all four nuclear powers have a great obligation, to use whatever time remains to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons...This treaty can be the opening wedge in that campaign...It opens the door for further agreements on the control of nuclear weapons.”(Kennedy, 4) Kennedy stated that this compromise would be influential in the formation of treaties to stop the spread of nuclear
Two great men who stood their ground and fought for what they believed in gave two incredible speeches in the 1960s that may have changed America forever. These two men had no idea what this country would accomplish after these great addresses. John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther king’s speeches to the nation appeal to emotions, call action to different audiences, and have differing opinions on the nation that make them comparable but not completely different.
It was on January 20th 1961 that John F Kennedy gave his inaugural address after winning the presidential race and beating future president Richard Nixon. President, John F Kennedy in his speech, The Inaugural Address, he describes his plans for growth in America. Kennedy’s purpose is unite the people of the U.S. and bring everyone together for the good cause of promoting growth in the country. He creates a very inspirational tone in order to establish a connection with the U.S. people. In his speech Kennedy really used several rhetorical strategies of persuasion to motivate and persuade the U.S. people that they made the right choice in choosing him.
1962 in America brought the emergence from a recession. During this time of economic worries in America, steel companies raised their prices of steel despite the President stressing how important stable prices and wages were. This brought out a powerful response from President John F. Kennedy, which resulted in him making a speech. He gave this speech to the nation on April 11, 1962, making his feelings heard loud and clear. Kennedy used this speech to raise anger in Americans by showing how the steel companies were only trying to help themselves. He also used this as a platform to make the steel companies feel guilty for their actions and urge them to stop, and to lower the prices. Kennedy uses the three appeals, strong diction and syntax,
After thirteen days of conflict, both superpowers agreed to withdraw their missiles. Although it was a stalemate, in the US this was presented as a major victory. Nuclear war was avoided without any loss of life or destruction. Just as in the Berlin Crisis, Kennedy used diplomacy to resolve conflicts with the Soviet Union. For Kennedy, “his readiness to offer negotiations was in part based on a politician’s belief
As both of the world’s superpowers attempted to outstrip each other in a nuclear arms race, it grew increasingly apparent that should one nation attempt to strike the other or its allies with nuclear weapons, the consequences from the secondary strike would cause an unacceptable loss of life and likely the extinction of the human race. Consider the Cuban Missile Crisis, for instance. There were multiple times where all out nuclear war between the East and the West came close to occurring. From the Soviet and American missiles that were readied in Cuba and in other parts of the globe, to nuclear torpedoes aboard the Soviet submarine B-59, and nuclear missiles carried aboard US bombers and interceptors, the realization that complete annihilation for nations would ensue with one wrong move greatly influenced the decisions of Soviet and US leaders alike. This was especially true when President Kennedy attempted to use diplomatic and military pressure against Khrushchev to remove the missiles, rather than ordering bomber runs and an invasion against Cuba.
Scott D. Sagan, the author of chapter two of “More Will Be Worse”, looks back on the deep political hostilities, numerous crises, and a prolonged arms race in of the cold war, and questions “Why should we expect that the experience of future nuclear powers will be any different?” The author talks about counter arguments among scholars on the subject that the world is better off without nuclear weapons. In this chapter a scholar named Kenneth Waltz argues that “The further spread of nuclear weapons may well be a stabilizing factor in international relations.” He believes that the spread of nuclear weapons will have a positive implications in which the likely-hood of war decreases and deterrent and defensive capabilities increase. Although there
The Civil Rights Address given by John F Kennedy was an influential and moving speech that sought to free blacks from the on growing oppression in the United States. John F Kennedy’s speech was given to address the American public on the brutality of discrimination. His point was to convince the public that is was time to give the blacks the rights the constitution gives them. The picture I chose to go with it also revolves around the Civil Rights movement and is title “I am a man”. This picture shows a large group of African American man holding signs saying “I am a man”. Both JFK’s Speech and the picture “I am a man” utilize the appeals to convince readers of a specific side. For JFK’s Speech he seems to use all three approached to convince us that discrimination is just as cruel and vile as slavery. As for the photo “I am a man” it uses the approach of only pathos to communicate the point.
When President Truman authorized the use of two nuclear weapons in 1945 against the Japanese in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki to end World War II, the nature of international security was changed irreversibly. At that time, the United States had what was said to have a monopoly of atomic bombs. Soon thereafter, the Soviet Union began working on atomic weaponry. In 1949, it had already detonated it first atomic bomb and tensions began to heat up between the two countries. With the information that the Soviets had tested their first bomb, the United States began work on more powerful weapons1, and a fight for nuclear superiority had begun.
Perhaps the most critical moment that had occurred to the United States and the world of the last century is the Cuban Missile Crisis. The significance of this event was that it had brought the world to the closest it could ever be to a nuclear war. Millions of lives, cultures and infrastructure would have been lost if it was not splendidly dealt with. Yet, a man was able to prevent this devastation, and he was none other than President John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) of the United States. How was he significant to the event? This research paper will discuss it with the points that are based on JFK’s characteristics. Hence, to provide an overview of this paper; the outbreak of nuclear warfare was prevented in the Cuban Missile Crisis specifically by John F. Kennedy’s many distinguished characteristics.
So what was going on leading up to John F. Kennedy’s famous speech? After war world II and when America used nukes, everyone in the world was trying to gain nuclear capabilities so they could become a world power. So with everyone having nukes, there was a giant fear that “Dooms Day” was coming and the Earth would be destroyed. In 1957 the Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first man made satellite. This scarred Americans to death because they had no idea what they were dealing with. Is this satellite spying on them 24/7 or was it preparing to launch missiles at the USA? The fact of not knowing is what scarred the citizens of the United States. So with the 1960 election coming around and communism seeming to be getting stronger every day, America needed a strong leader.
Kennedy also used other rhetorical devices such as anaphora, alliteration and metaphors. Kennedy used a technique called anaphora, also known as the repetition of the opening phrase of a sentence for added effect, when he said Cuba will be “free from foreign domination, free to choose their own leaders, free to select their own system, free to own their own land, free to speak and write and worship without fear or degradation.” By using anaphora, Kennedy emphasizes the fact that he truly wants peace, not only for his nation but for Cuba as well. He does not blame Cuba for the missiles but instead realizes the fact that they are under the control of “tyrants”. Therefore, through this line Kennedy gains the respect of many that are listening since he is being practical and sensible in the situation despite the severity of it. Another rhetorical device used by Kennedy is alliteration, which is the recurrence of initial consonant sounds, in the following statement, “large, long-range missiles.” The purpose of this statement is to emphasize the threat that the missiles possess by stressing their size and location through alliteration. This statement can stir the fear or curiosity of those listening which is effective in getting their attention and keeping it for the duration of the speech. Lastly, metaphors were also used to compare two things by stating one is the other. This can be seen when he stated that “the fruits of victory would be ashes in our mouths." Once again, this device is used to emphasize the severity and threat of the missiles. Furthermore, Kennedy emphasizes the devastating effects nuclear war can have that not even victory itself will be satisfying since so much destruction was caused. This metaphor will steer those listening, away from taking an offensive action and possibly starting a war to support his defensive plan which does not have a destructive war as a result. It is natural for us as human beings to go with a plan that
We were already in a cold war, not knowing wither if these missiles were going to go off it made people panic. Yet, Kennedy took it upon himself to, to assured us that we needed to take precautionary measure. Kennedy could have said, don’t worry, or nothing at all. Instead, he let us in and let us knows what was up because this crisis involved us, the nation, that involves everybody. After a long wait, the crisis ended peacefully with a deal was made to make sure that Soviets agreed to get rid of their missile if the US, go rid of their own missiles in turkey (it is only fair). This is the agreement that ended the Cuban missile crisis and made our Nation, including the Soviets, and the Cubans relaxed. After this scare, a bunch of treaties was made and signed to reduce nuclear power. Leading us to create a great relation with China, after being a great ally to the Soviets
In his speech, Kennedy states: “Some say that it is useless to speak of peace or world law or world disarmament -- and that it will be useless until the leaders of the Soviet Union adopt a more enlightened attitude. I hope they do. I believe we can help them do it” (Kennedy). He believes that there is a chance for peace with the Soviet Union. Others, however,...
The Cold War was a time of great tension all over the world. From 1945 to 1989, the United States was the leader and nuclear power and was competing with the Soviet Union to create huge stockpiles of nuclear weapons. However, even though the Cold War ended, nuclear weapons are still a threat. Countries around the world strive to create nuclear power, and they do not promise to use it for peaceful purposes. Some examples of the struggles caused by nuclear weapons include the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Iran’s recent nuclear weapon program. Surely, nuclear weapons have created conflict all over the world since the Cold War era.
The incident of the Cuban Missile Crisis still connects with us today because the power nuclear weapons present, which provides incentives for countries to want them. Although nuclear technology was around prior to this incident, the power they represented didn’t fully develop till this time. Since the crisis five new countries have attained nuclear weapons, the lack of concern for the proliferation of the club is worrying. If a nuclear war broke out between India and Pakistan (both of whom have nuclear weapons) over a billion deaths would result. The burning cities would create enough smoke and ash to choke off the sun, leading to worldwide famine. Another way the Cuban incident applies to today is the possibility of nuclear terrorism. Republican Senator Richard Lugar conducted a survey of 85 national security experts which reached a similarly alarming conclusion. Although nuclear weapons were around prior to the Missile Crisis, we were never as close to the horror of nuclear war. "This Government, as promised, has maintained the closest surveillance of the Soviet military buildup on the island of Cuba," President John F. Kennedy began in what has to be counted as the scariest presidential address of the Cold War.