The Life and Legacy of John F. Kennedy

Early Life

President John F. Kennedy, born in 1917 on May 29th in Brookline, Massachusetts, marked the second eldest son in the Kennedy family. Named after his mother Rose’s father, John Francis Fitzgerald, the late president’s full name was John Fitzgerald Kennedy. However, family and friends affectionately referred to him as Jack –a nickname that stuck throughout his life. A frequently sickly child, various ailments would plague Jack through adulthood. Still, he received substantial support in many aspects while growing up; his father often encouraged his sons to be ambitious and to make use of their intelligence and ability by becoming worthwhile citizens. The Kennedys were also affluent due largely to Jack’s father, Joseph Kennedy’s, drive and ambition to become a successful businessman. In fact, Joseph’s determination awarded him with not only financial success, but moderate political success as well as he attained the position of Ambassador to the United Kingdom. “His parents’ upward mobility and their eagerness to replace their “Irishness” with an American identity” had both positives and negatives as it served to simultaneously limit his knowledge and connection with his Irish roots and create an advantageous circumstance for Kennedy’s future political endeavors. Thus, confident in their abilities, Joseph as a father figure constantly pushed and encouraged Jack and his elder brother Joe to work hard and succeed in all their endeavors. As an adolescent, Jack attended Choate, a boarding school where he participated in many school sports and clubs. He graduated from Choate and began his education at Harvard in 1936, where he continued to play football. Unfortunately, he experienced a bad accident that involved the rupturing of a spinal disc. This injury would bother him for the rest of his life. While highly capable, Jack was consistently viewed throughout his youth as somewhat less ambitious than the firstborn Joe. In fact, Joe intended to become the first Catholic Irish president of the United States. Both boys were highly regarded and well liked. They were handsome, charming, and intelligent young men with bright futures. After attending university, they both enlisted for war –Joe in the Air Force and Jack in the Navy. Jack performed heroically and just managed to come home alive, receiving the honor of the Navy and Marine Corps medal to award his leadership and courage. On the other hand, Joe met an unfortunate and untimely death when his aircraft was attacked. Joe’s death, coupled with the insistence of his father, increased Jack’s ambition to pursue a political career.

Kennedy’s Rise to Power

Jack won a seat in Congress in 1946, serving three terms in the House of Representatives before being elected to the U.S. Senate in 1952. “Wit, charm, and intelligence added to the cachet he carried as a congressman and the son of one of America’s wealthiest entrepreneurs who himself was a former ambassador to Britain.” JFK was very well known for being an exceptionally charismatic man. He maintained his charisma throughout his political career, charmingly and intelligently winning over the hearts and loyalties of the public. New York Times columnist James Reston wrote: “The effect he has on women voters was almost naughty… Every woman either wants to mother him or to marry him.” At 36 years of age, Kennedy married the then 24-year-old Jacqueline Bouvier. The two had their first child, Caroline, in 1957. However, Jack was notorious for being somewhat of an unfaithful womanizer who had many affairs throughout his marriage. Nonetheless, Jack was a very appealing and likeable man, which allowed him to maintain popularity despite questionable morals regarding marriage and fidelity. His path to presidency took off with his nomination for the Democratic Party. Considering the wealth of his family, money posed no problem. His campaign involved paying personal attention to many important figures, which including fancy meals and engagements. Beyond financial freedom, Kennedy and his team were also very intelligent in their campaign strategy. “More effectively than any previous candidate in American history, Kennedy conducted scores of opinion polls ––to probe issues, the weaknesses of his candidacy and his opponents ––and used the information to decide his schedule and tactics.” One of the strongest moves that worked to gain the support and trust of intellectuals and other opinion leaders centers around the publishing of a campaign book titled The Strategy of Peace, in which Kennedy addresses and criticizes a number of issues with existing American foreign and domestic issues. He maximized the effect of this move by sending personal copies of the book to columnists, educators, labor leaders, politicians, reporters, and the like.

Presidency

After winning the presidency, Kennedy faced issues such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, and incidents such as the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Some of the social and political issues that Kennedy sought to improve included negotiations with Cuba, reducing U.S. involvement in Vietnam with the end goal of removing all troops by 1965, promoting progress in the form of civil rights for everyone, including blacks, and disbanding the Central Intelligence Agency. Kennedy fervently wished to reduce the U.S.’ involvement in Vietnam and met heavy military resistance to the plan. His plan to pull out all troops would undermine military funding and opportunities involving experiments in guerilla type warfare. Also, in relation to the military, Kennedy signed a test ban treaty that significantly undercut the military’s technological advancement sector. Kennedy had to face the Cuban Missile Crisis and matters involving the USSR in relation to the Cold War almost immediately after the start of his presidential term due to communist resistance to Kennedy’s exceptionally strong stance against communism. In regard to the Bay of Pigs, the CIA-operated endeavor that aimed to invade Cuba and topple the regime of Fidel Castro was refused air cover by Kennedy, aiding in the result of the complete failure of the operation. Not only did Kennedy refuse air cover, he exacerbated the situation by publicly repudiating the CIA and threatened to “splinter the CIA in a thousand pieces and scatter it to the winds.” Kennedy’s tenure as president was rife with heavy issues and controversial matters. However, he also made strides for the nation in the form of such work as the establishment of the Peace Corps, approving funding for the Apollo project, and presenting a revised civil rights bill as a step forward in the continual fight to end racism.

Death and Burial

For reasons undetermined, John F. Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963. The official story to the public states that a lone gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald, gunned down President Kennedy as his motorcade made its way through Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas as he was preparing to run for a second term. However, the assassination is weighed down by controversy, vagueness, and skepticism due to the fact that evidence such as the type of bullets, number of guns, and Oswald’s own motives do not line up. Conspiracies include theories regarding the CIA, the USSR, and organized crime entities. Regardless of the reason of his death, JFK died a beloved and respected man by most of the nation. His body currently rests at Arlington National Cemetery. Despite debate over whether he should be buried in his home state of Massachusetts or at Arlington, as is his right as a WWII veteran, Jackie Kennedy claimed that “He belongs to the people” and constructed a gravesite that befits his position as president –complete with eternal flame. Though recently moved to another safer and more tourist friendly location in Arlington Cemetery, John F. Kennedy remains buried there today alongside the late Jackie Kennedy and the two children they lost through miscarriage.

Bibliography

"CIA: Marker of Policy or Tool? Survey find widely feared agency is tightly controlled." New York Times, April 25, 1966.

Dallek, Robert. An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917 - 1963. Hachette Book Group, 2003.

JFK’s body moved to permanent gravesite,” The History Channel website, http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/jfks-body-moved-to-permanent-gravesite (accessed Mar 19, 2014).

O'Brien, Michael. John F. Kennedy: A Biography. Thomas Dunne Books, 2005.