John F. Kennedy Biography (America’s second youngest elected president.)

John F. Kennedy Biography:

John F.  Kennedy  was    America’s   second youngest  elected  president.  He  oversaw one   of the most crucial     moments   in the Cold      War            (Cuban      Missile  Crisis)   and sought         to   affirm     America’s      beliefs     in basic        human rights by      calling        for civil rights        legislation             and   an      attempt    to reduce                              poverty.           Kennedy                    was assassinated on November 22, 1963  –  a tragic     death that    shocked    America and the world.

Born    on        May         1917,   John      F.  Kennedy came    from an  illustrious political family; his father Joseph Kennedy was a leading member     of    the         Democratic   Party, and Joseph  encouraged     John  F.    Kennedy in his political ambitions after the war.

John       graduated             from      Harvard       after completing  a thesis on “Appeasement   in Munich.”    His  thesis  was later  converted into       a      successful     book:   Why     England Slept (1940).

Before    America  joined   the            war,       John joined          the        Navy              and       saw               action throughout the  Pacific theatre. In August 1943, his boat was rammed by Japanese destroyer Amagiri.  John    F  Kennedy was later   decorated                 for   his            outstanding bravery in rescuing a fellow crewman; he was also  awarded    the     Purple  Heart   for an  incident  later   in  the  war.   Afterwards, Kennedy was modest    about his   actions, saying       he   felt      a     bit embarrassed   as  it resulted from a botched military action.

In  1946,  he won a   seat   in Boston for  the US       House      of    Representatives,          and in 1952        got himself          elected       to         the    US Senate,                             defeating     the           incumbent Republican.

In     1953,       he     married              Jacqueline    Lee Bouvier.  In 1957 he              was   awarded      the Pulitzer  Prize for    biography    for his book Profiles  in    Courage,    a  book          about       US Senators who stood up for their personal beliefs.

In 1956, he  was nearly chosen      to  be the Vice   Presidential candidate  for                     Adlai Stevenson. The national  exposure raised his profile,   and  in 1960 he  was     selected to be   the   Democratic  nomination for the Presidency.

In    1960,     in a  very    tight  election, John F. Kennedy           narrowly      defeated  the   much fancied Republican, Richard Nixon. It was a memorable election with many millions glued    to               the            TV      in  the    pre-election hustings. John  F.  Kennedy came    across very well on TV and  looked more   relaxed and professional on camera.

It was  the first    time    a Roman          Catholic had  been elected president   and it   was  a big          issue          in             America     where      many Protestants     distrusted      the   prospect   of America being influenced by the Vatican. He         had to   assure  voters   he  was    not  a Catholic   candidate    for           the Presidency, but someone standing for President who happened to be a Catholic.

During   his             inauguration,     JFK    gave        a memorable     speech, where  he   famously encouraged   citizens   to     help      the  nation become strong again.

“Ask       not  what  your  country      can   do  for you   –            ask    what    you    can    do for     your country.”

He                            also                  called                 for                   greater internationalism.

“We        will       make  clear          that          America’s enduring  concern  is  for  both    peace  and freedom; that      we are anxious       to    live  in harmony    with    the       Russian  people; that we  seek    no conquests,    no   satellites, no riches;  that   we  seek    only    the  day  when nation   shall     not     lift   up      sword      against nation,   neither   shall    they   learn    war any more.”

In 1961, Kennedy ordered the Bay of Pigs invasion   of    Cuba. It   was    mostly       led by Cuban exiles   with         minimal  US support. However,            the     invasion    was      a      failure leading  to           embarrassing       negotiations with Fidel Castro’s Cuba.

In 1962, the world     came       extraordinarily close  to nuclear      war  during    the     Cuban Missile   Crisis.      The    Soviet Union  moved missiles to Cuba.   Many    in  the American military  were keen on  an air strike on the missile       bases,    but             Kennedy     chose  a more  cautious    diplomatic approach.   He found   a  way to  offer  Khrushchev   a   way out              without     losing  face,  while making sure the     missiles     were   removed         from Cuba.

During         his        brief           presidency, John      F. Kennedy     oversaw   an        escalation    of US involvement    in   Vietnam, which   included sending  16,000    military     advisers    to the country.  Later,    Kennedy’s   Secretary            of Defence Robert McNamara said Kennedy considered   pulling      out       of       Vietnam      in 1963  and  believes    that  if      Kennedy    had survived,    American        involvement    would have         ended.      Tapes          showed                         that Kennedy’s former Vice-President, Lyndon Johnson              later      criticised                Kennedy’s opinion that America should withdraw.

Ich Bin Ein Berliner:

In                   June          1963,     Kennedy   made                   a memorable speech  in         West      Berlin.    He criticised   the         Soviets    for   their     divisive wall. He stated:

“Freedom      has      many              difficulties     and democracy  is  not   perfect,      but we      have never   had to  put   a    wall up  to      keep     our people in.”

John    F. Kennedy       was        assassinated  in November 1963. Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested and put   on trial  for  his     murder. However,  before he could reach  trial, Lee Harvey         Oswald    was  himself          killed  by Jack   Ruby.      Lee    Harvey   Oswald   always pleaded his  innocence  and many believe the    assassination                               was      a               wider conspiracy.