A Strong President
John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States of America. He was the youngest and the first Roman Catholic president. He had a reputation as a military hero. President Kennedy contributed a lot during the Cold War. He also provided federal support for the Civil Rights Movement. He is one of the best-loved presidents.
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Catholic PresidentPresident Kennedy was the second of nine children in his family. His parents were members of two of Boston's most prominent Irish Catholic political families. When Kennedy decided to run for president, there was still a lot of anti-catholic prejudice. Kennedy established an informal network of advisers on the issue of his religion. Due to his religion, Kennedy failed to win a majority of peoples votes. This was seen in his polls in West Virginia, which showed that he was behind by 20 points. When he saw this he decided to address the issue of his religion head on with a speech. In his speech Kennedy stated, " Are we going to admit to the world that a Jew can be elected Mayor of Dublin, a Protestant can be chosen Foreign Minister of France, a Muslim can be elected to the Israeli parliament--but a Catholic cannot be President of the United States?"
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Kennedy's ContributionsThe election of 1960 was greatly impacted by the Cold War that was going on. As Senator, Kennedy pledged to strengthen American military forces and promised a tough stance against the Soviet Union. He warned the nation of the growing Soviet Union missiles and pledged to revitalize American nuclear forces. Before Kennedy's inauguration, he was briefed on a plan to train Cuban exiles for an invasion of their home (The Bay of Pigs). Kennedy approved the operation and when the operation failed, Kennedy took full responsibility. Kennedy also helped put an end to the nuclear arms race during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He met with Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev and made an agreement that the U.S. would not invade Cuba if the Soviet Union removed all of the missiles.
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Kennedy's DeathOn November 22, 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated. He had just landed with his wife after he had spoken in San Antonio, Austin, and Fort Worth the previous day. He and his wife were being transported to Dallas Trade Mart in a motorcade after their landing for yet another speaking engagement. It was shortly after 12:30 p.m. when shots were heard and Kennedy was shot twice. Kennedy was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the hospital. His assasinator was a twenty-four-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald, who was known to have Communist sympathies. The country had a great loss with President Kennedy's death but he will always remain as one of the best-loved presidents.
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