The “brief shining moment” that Kennedy was remembered for, was actually only mediocre. During Kennedy’s presidency, Kennedy had high hopes, but died before many could be authorized. However, not all of that was his fault. Many times Kennedy had pushed for reforms, but as he barely made it into office, Congress was not as accepting, pushing back on his ideas, leading to many impasses. Kennedy was may have been successful in foreign affairs, but they were also a disaster at times. Another negligent part of his work was that a lot of favor Kennedy won was due to his public image. Lastly, Kennedy did manage pass some noteable accomplishments. As the campaigning began, televisions were still relatively new, as not everyone owned them. When the debate between Kennedy and Nixon was the first ever to be televised, many took to watching it, but a good amount still only listened to it on the radio. To the viewers, Kennedy had seemed calm and composed whereas Nixon had seemed uncomfortable and ill. After the discourse, “most of the people who watched the debate on television thought Kennedy had won. But those who listened on the radio thought Nixon was the winner” (48.2). Many …show more content…
After the erecting of the Berlin Wall he recited a powerful speech, condoning it (Document K). This showed an improvement in his foreign policy as he showed West Berlin that America were their allies; he also told them to not give up hope. The Cuban Missile Crisis was also set to an end, even after he had to face Khrushchev and Castro essentially on his own (Document J). At the end of the Crisis, the Soviet Union and American were now on better terms, with a direct line for communication open between the Russian and American leaders. Lastly, he established the Peace Corps (Document L). Though it may not have been effective in his time, making it seem folly, it is now an incredible