John F. Kennedy’s Presidency
For a man who was unable to “finish the job” the question is often asked; How should history remember the Presidency of John F. Kennedy? Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States (1961-1963), the youngest man elected to the office. He was in office during a period of severe challenges in the U.S. People often debate whether Kennedy was inept for presidency at this time. He had multiple successes and failures when he set out to achieve his objectives. Some of these objectives included; confronting mounting Cold War tensions in Cuba, Vietnam and elsewhere, providing federal support for the growing Civil Rights Movement, and winning the Space Race.
During Kennedy’s Presidency, the Cold War between Russia and the United States was at it’s peak. The first dilemma occurred when Fidel Castro overthrew the Cuban Empire and established ties with the Soviet Union. At the time, President Eisenhower was in office and he authorized the …show more content…
While campaigning, Kennedy promised to support the Civil Rights Movement, which gave him an overwhelming amount of votes from African Americans. Once in office, he was at first hesitant to push towards the Civil Rights Movement because he did not want to anger Congress. This left disappointment in many African Americans. Kennedy eventually began to create small advances in the movement such as the Committee of Equal Employment Opportunity(CEEO). However, he sought to introduce a civil rights bill to Congress. Although during his time in office he was unable to accomplish this he was a vital influence on Martin Luther King. Kennedy gave a speech on the civil rights bill which caused Dr. King to realize that Kennedy would have an extremely hard time getting the bill passed through Congress. Dr. King soon after gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in the nation’s
For a man who was unable to “finish the job” the question is often asked; How should history remember the Presidency of John F. Kennedy? Kennedy was the 35th President of the United States (1961-1963), the youngest man elected to the office. He was in office during a period of severe challenges in the U.S. People often debate whether Kennedy was inept for presidency at this time. He had multiple successes and failures when he set out to achieve his objectives. Some of these objectives included; confronting mounting Cold War tensions in Cuba, Vietnam and elsewhere, providing federal support for the growing Civil Rights Movement, and winning the Space Race.
During Kennedy’s Presidency, the Cold War between Russia and the United States was at it’s peak. The first dilemma occurred when Fidel Castro overthrew the Cuban Empire and established ties with the Soviet Union. At the time, President Eisenhower was in office and he authorized the …show more content…
While campaigning, Kennedy promised to support the Civil Rights Movement, which gave him an overwhelming amount of votes from African Americans. Once in office, he was at first hesitant to push towards the Civil Rights Movement because he did not want to anger Congress. This left disappointment in many African Americans. Kennedy eventually began to create small advances in the movement such as the Committee of Equal Employment Opportunity(CEEO). However, he sought to introduce a civil rights bill to Congress. Although during his time in office he was unable to accomplish this he was a vital influence on Martin Luther King. Kennedy gave a speech on the civil rights bill which caused Dr. King to realize that Kennedy would have an extremely hard time getting the bill passed through Congress. Dr. King soon after gave his famous “I Have a Dream” speech in the nation’s