John Fitzgerald Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917 in the Boston suburb of

Brookline. Kennedy was the son of Joseph P. Kennedy a formerambassador to Great

Britain. Kennedy was much like his father, possessing

a delightful sense of

humor, a strong family loyalty, a concern for the state of the nation, endless

vitality and a constant air of confidence no matter how dire the situation

(Kennedy, Sorensen, Harper & Row, New York 1965, Page 18). Growing up in a

priviliged household and graduating with honors from Harvard. He served as an

assistant to his father (1938), naval officer (1941-1945), journalist (1941 and

1945) and Congressman (1947-1953), he had traveled to every major continent and

talked with the presidents and prime ministers, of some thirty-seven countries.

In 1952 he was elected to the United States Senate and in 1953 he married

Jaqueline Bouvier. However one year later a spinal operation brought him to the

edge of death\'s door, causing him to deeply reflect on his character (Sorensen

28). After his dangerous operation he researched and wrote a book, about

democracy. The next year narrowly missing the Vice Presidential nomination of

his party, Kennedy emerged as a national figure in large demand.

\"John Kennedy was not one of the Senate\'s great leaders\" (Sorensen 43).

Very few laws of great importance bear his name. Even after his initial "

traditionally\' inactive freshman year in the Senate, his chances for major

contributions to the Senate excluding his stances on fair labor reform and

against rackets, were constantly diminished of his Presidential campaign. His

voting record reflects his open minded views, and strengthed beliefs. He was

well liked and respected by many Senators. Kennedy was regarded for his

eagerness and cool logic in debate situations His only real "enemy" was Senator

Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin (Sorensen 45).McCarthy\'s rough and wide-ranging

hunts for Red, \"pinks\" and headlines had stomped on the freedoms of people who

had not committed a crime, and Kennedy was too rational and reasonable a man to

remain indiferent to the extremism known as Mcarthyism. Kennedy often was a

thorn in McCarthy\'s side obstructing many of McCarthy\'s personal choices for

various offices and by serving on certain committies of which McCarthy was

chairman, such as the Government Operations Committee (Sorensen 46).

Kennedy\'s political philosophy revoloved around the idea that one could

not allow the pressures of party responisbility to cloud ones personal

responsibility. Meaning after all was said and done that the decision falls upon

yourself to make the choice regardless of what your party platform was. Of

course the platfrom had significant merit, nevertheless it still came down to

the individual. \"Democrats, he said, generally had more heart, more foresight

and more energy. They were not satisfied with things as they were and believed

they could make them better\" (Sorensen 71).

\"John F. Kennedy wanted someday to be President of the United States\"

(Sorensen 95). Not because

he was dissatisfied with his life as a Senator nor

because he possessed some grand scheme for the future of America. He merely

felt that it was the center of action of the American System. "at least you

have an opportunity to do something about all the probelms which. . . I would be

concerned about [anyway] as a father or as a citizen. . . and if what you do is

useful and succesful, then . . . that is a great satisfaction" (Sorensen 95).

Before the election of 1960 Kennedy used the result of his newfound celebrity

status to do a bit of travelling across the country. Convering more than thirty

thousand miles in twenty-four states, he made over 150 speeches and appearances

in the course of six weeks. He spoke to various conventions, varying from civic

to labor, farmer to youth. However his senatorial duties enabled him to accept

less than 4 percent of the hundreds of invitations that poured into his office,

mainly consisting of important Democratic canidates or fund-raising dinner

chairmen. As the years progressed the fact materialized that his hard work had

finally begun to pay off. His audiences had became larger and even more

enthusiastic. Therefore at 12:30 P.M., on Saturday, January 2, Senator John

Fitzgerald Kennedy walked into a crowded press conference and read a one-page

declaration of his candidacy for the Presidency (Sorensen 122).

\"I am announcing today my candidacy for the Presidency of the United

States. . . . In the past forty