Kennedy's Inaugural Address Analysis

Adrian Rodriguez

Professor Christopher Staaf

HIST 2112-17

3 December 2015

Primary Source Assignment #6 January 1961, Dwight Eisenhower’s presidency is coming to a close as John Kennedy’s era is about to begin. Within the course of a week both these men gave addresses, with Eisenhower giving his farewell address and Kennedy his inaugural address. The overall primary message of John Kennedy’s address and Eisenhower’s address share significant similarities as well as differences. With these addresses going on in the early 1960s both men understood that the Cold War was a national priority for the foreseeable future, and this is evident as they both make indirect references to it and the Soviet Union as a global threat. They also share a concern

Kennedy’s address was based on the fact that him and his administration were about to usher in a new era for the “new generation.” What made Kennedy’s address historically impactful was that his speech mainly consisted of five important objectives and he achieved all of them, bringing about a more immediate change to the world than Eisenhower’s address. These objectives included conveying his seriousness of purpose and knowledge of global issues to the public and important leaders who doubted him due to his youth. Kennedy’s second goal was that he wanted to make it clear to Soviet leader Khrushchev that he preferred not to engage in an actual war, but instead negotiations and cooperation, while still standing firm against any threat to their freedom. By stressing his concern for global issues such as poverty and opposition to dictatorship he achieved his third goal to gain more friends for the U.S. and the West among neutral countries of the third world, including a majority of countries in Latin America. He accomplished his fourth goal by calling upon the American people to the challenges, sacrifices and discipline that he knew lay ahead by using elevated language to rally them together. His fifth and final achieved goal was to avoid any trace of political partisanships in his speech, explaining his lack of mentioning domestic issues in the inaugural

It also calls to be an overall good human being while standing firm against those who threaten freedom. For Eisenhower’s speech in 21st century America I believe it to be almost like a set of rules which have all been broken and now the consequences which affect not only the United States but the world is being