Comparing John F. Kennedy's Camelot With A Medieval English Myth

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was one of the most memorable presidents of the United States. He served from the year 1960 to 1963, when he was assassinated on November 22. Shortly after his assassination, his wife (Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy) was speaking with a journalist. eNotes says, “She described the years of her husband’s presidency as an American Camelot, a period of hope and optimism in US history.” But why did she compare the time of his presidency, in the modern era, with a medieval English myth? The two have many similarities that can only be seen by studying the history of King Arthur and Camelot. John F. Kennedy’s presidency was called Camelot, but he was not King Arthur. TODAY News, in their article about the end of “Camelot,” says

When he is about to become king, it says, “...they kneeled at once, both rich and poor, and cried Arthur mercy because they had delayed him so long, and Arthur forgave them...” (Malory, Book I, Chapter VII) They tried to delay him being made king because they did not believe that he was the rightful king. But he forgave them. He was also a great leader, and a great warrior, too. In Le Morte D’Arthur, in the same chapter, Thomas Malory mentions his power. It says: “...within a few years after (he was made king) Arthur won all the north, Scotland, and all that was under their obeissance. Also Wales, a part of it, held against Arthur, but he overcame them all, as he did the remnant, through the noble prowess of himself and his knights of the Round Table.” This shows that he was a good leader and conquered a large area in just a few years. We can see why the term “Camelot” has come to mean a period of hope and prosperity. The time of John F. Kennedy’s presidency, along with the life of his brothers, was really an American Camelot. Even though those times were filled with issues and conflicts, it is still a well-remembered time in history. America put the first man on the moon, and the Cold War was