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John F Kennedy Inaugural Address Analysis

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John F. Kennedy Twenty years after Winston Churchill gave his now famous speech, a 43-year-old Senator from Massachusetts narrowly defeated Richard Nixon during the fall of 1960 and was elected President of the United States. That young Senator was none other than John F. Kennedy. Sharing many similarities to Churchill’s early life, John F. Kennedy was born unto a wealthy family and raised amongst privilege (Dallek, 2003). After attending Harvard, he joined the Naval reserve and eventually commanded a squadron of patrol boats in the Pacific Theater during World War II (Doyle, 2015). After the war, Kennedy continued his service to the nation by way of politics. He was first elected to represent the 11th congressional district of Massachusetts …show more content…

The US economy was struggling to rebound after back to back recessions. The burgeoning civil rights movement was vociferously opposing entrenched racist policies throughout the whole of America. Communist expansion across the globe, Soviet advances in Space and the ever-present threat of nuclear conflict produced an era of intense anxiety amongst the American population. It was upon this unforgiving geopolitical landscape that Kennedy would address the nation during his inaugural address. Kennedy understood the profound significance of his address and utilized the opportunity to orate the reality of communist expansion as well as the vision, courage and ethical considerations that would ultimately define his legacy. In his opening sentence he outlines the general theme of the speech as a progressive call to action stating: “We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom--symbolizing an end as well as a beginning--signifying renewal as well as …show more content…

Instead of directly challenging adversaries he offers a new path of negotiation and arms control. He offers to explore areas of cooperation’s specifically outlining a vision where “both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.” Kennedy then returns to the theme of ethics as part of his vision of the future by calling on the listener “to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation--a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war

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