It is also possible that Kennedy’s words were overly optimistic. Attempting to create peace in this world certainly seems to be an impossibility when one considers the number of conflicts and atrocities that take place throughout the world. Kennedy’s short time as president has, however, left an enduring legacy. The “Peace Speech” might not have had the enduring effects of creating an enduring optimism among Americans, but it did help to alleviate the fear that had crept into the life of many Americans’ lives. The consequences of the speech were not merely empty rhetoric. By combining the rhetoric of peace with a push to reconcile with and negotiate with the Soviets, specifically in regards to nuclear arms, Kennedy was able to back up his words with actions. Without the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in August of 1963, Kennedy’s speech would ring hollow as mere words. Today, many might see the sentiment that Kennedy expressed as unrealistic, but seeing war and conflict in general, as a man-made problem to be solved allows us as people to push to improve the future not just in the immediate but also in the
It is also possible that Kennedy’s words were overly optimistic. Attempting to create peace in this world certainly seems to be an impossibility when one considers the number of conflicts and atrocities that take place throughout the world. Kennedy’s short time as president has, however, left an enduring legacy. The “Peace Speech” might not have had the enduring effects of creating an enduring optimism among Americans, but it did help to alleviate the fear that had crept into the life of many Americans’ lives. The consequences of the speech were not merely empty rhetoric. By combining the rhetoric of peace with a push to reconcile with and negotiate with the Soviets, specifically in regards to nuclear arms, Kennedy was able to back up his words with actions. Without the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in August of 1963, Kennedy’s speech would ring hollow as mere words. Today, many might see the sentiment that Kennedy expressed as unrealistic, but seeing war and conflict in general, as a man-made problem to be solved allows us as people to push to improve the future not just in the immediate but also in the