Essay On Why Did Jfk Win The Election Of The 1960's

The United States presidential election of 1960 resulted in Kennedy’s victory over Nixon. As the television became the standard item in the people’s homes, candidates had to characterise themselves as reliable in order to win the presidential campaign. Hence, Kennedy’s confident attitude in the debate, his reputable family, and his campaigns all contributed to Kennedy’s victory in the presidential campaign. Although the TV debate was key to Kennedy’s success, the other two factors also contributed to his victory.

The very first Nixon-Kennedy TV debate was a major turning point in Kennedy’s presidential campaign, allowing him to win support over the Americans. While Nixon was pale and sickly from a recent hospitalisation, Kennedy appeared to

For instance, despite her pregnancy, first lady Jackie Kennedy was able to contribute to the campaign by writing a total of seven newspaper columns titled “Campaign Wife” - despite certain limits, she was able to contribute to the campaign, and this brought about genuine interest from the media and from the Americans. Additionally, Jackie Kennedy was able to attract Spanish speaking voters since she was multilingual; this provides support for the point that her role was significant to Kennedy’s success in the presidential campaign. Hence, Kennedy’s family, who gave the candidate full support, helped him establish foundation to win the election. On the other hand, Jackie Kennedy generally refused to make speeches, often speaking briefly and extemporaneously only when absolutely needed - that she was not an effective speaker reflects on how her presence was not essential to Kennedy’s campaign in 1960. Other sources, however, do agree with the initial point in that Jackie Kennedy was actively involved by writing letters and newspaper columns; not only that, she was characterised as an icon of the fashionable modern woman, making her the target of the press. Consequently, by participating in the campaign, the first lady was able to arouse more support for the campaign. Not only that, but Kennedy’s parents were also wealthy and had numerous political connections - they made Kennedy the epitome of a courageous war hero and the TIME’s front cover published in 1960 reveals the extent to which they contributed to Kennedy’s campaign. Such manipulation of image as presented in the media and the press was done by Kennedy’s parents, and this shows how the role of Kennedy’s family was also important to his victory in the presidential campaign. If Kennedy’s family had not supported the candidate, it would have