John Fitzgerald Kennedy was an American politician, who was born on May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts.
John was the second of nine siblings and his parents were Joseph Patrick Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald.
In June 1940, at age 23, he graduated in International Relations with a Cum Laude mention from Harvard University. At 24 he enlisted in the Navy and during World War II, he commanded a torpedo boat in the Pacific, which was hit by a Japanese destroyer.
Kennedy was wounded and despite this, he managed to bring his crew to safety, which earned him a decoration as a war hero at age 26.
The Kennedy Clan was always very united and followed the indications of the hierarch of the family, his father, Joseph Patrick Kennedy. Therefore, after his older brother, Joe, who was pursuing a political career, died, his father asked John to dedicate himself to politics.
This is how, a little later, in 1947, he was elected a Member of the United States House of Representatives for the Democratic Party. I was 30 years old.
On September 12, 1953, he married Jacqueline Bouvier in Boston, where 1,200 guests attended. They had two children: Carolina and John John.
In 1954, during a convalescence, due to spinal problems, he wrote the book “Profiles of Courage”, which earned him a Pulitzer Prize in 1957. In 1960, with the slogan “Kennedy is on the move,” he swept the primary elections and, on November 8, won the victory over Richard Nixon, by a very small margin.
At age 43, John Fitzgerald Kennedy had been chosen as the America’s first Catholic president.
Kennedy as part of the change offered in his campaign, he fought for civil rights and to eradicate poverty. He supported desegregation, established a new anti-recession policy, and fought against communism.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy died on November 22, 1963, assassinated in Dallas, Texas, at the age of 46. All North America and the world mourned the death of Kennedy, a charismatic leader, who undoubtedly left an indelible mark on world political history .
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Political career of John Fitzgerald Kennedy
Within the political career of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the positions that allowed him to leave a great mark on the American people and the world stand out:
- Was Member of the House of Representatives of the United States, for the 11th district of Massachusetts, from 1947 to 1953.
- From 1953 to 1960, it was United States Senator by the state of Massachusetts.
- On July 13, 1960, he was elected Presidential Candidate by the Democratic Party, being the second Catholic to do so.
- He was elected as the 35th President of the United States, on November 8, 1960.
- He took office on January 21, 1961, as the 35th President of the United States and, he exercised it until November 22, 1963.
The 35th President of the United States
During his swearing in as the 35th President of the United States, on January 20, 1961, talked about the need for Americans to be more active.
That day he coined one of his most famous phrases: “Don’t ask what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
Similarly, in that first speech, he asked the other countries to fight together against what he called: “the common enemy of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.”
As promised in his campaign, John Fitzgerald Kennedy represented change and, within his innovative measures:
- It gave federal aid to the American educational system.
- He promoted culture and the arts.
- He relaunched the economy.
Likewise, among the objectives of his administration was to eliminate racial segregation, reactivate the economy and fight against socialism in neighboring countries.
Therefore, he supported Martin Luther King, introduced a Social Investment Program in Congress, and supported the Bay of Pigs invasion to overthrow Castro in Cuba.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy Government Program
The John Fitzgerald Kennedy Government Program had a fairly liberal cut, as a good democrat and was basically based on the following actions:
- Economic recovery.
- Improvement of the Administration.
- Establishment of an Alliance for the development of the continent.
Economic recovery and improvement of the Administration
Within his policy for economic recovery, Kennedy changed fiscal policy, maintained interest rates and stimulated growth in the economy. With these actions, John F. Kennedy turned the US economy around, thus achieving the improved administration.
As GDP grew 5.5%, inflation remained at 1%, unemployment fell, industrial production increased by 15% and car sales by 40%.
Alliance for Progress
The Alliance for Progress It was a program that granted international aid to the countries of Central and South America, through social and financial cooperation.
The foundations of Alliance for Progress were the following:
- Support for democracies against dictatorships
- Long-term credit concessions
- Price stabilization in exports
- Agrarian reform programs
- Incentives for private investment
- Technical assistance and exchange of information and students
- Gun control
- Strengthening of the Organization of American States (OAS)
All of these economic and social initiatives are part of the political legacy of John Fitzgerald Kennedy.
The Assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy
As part of his campaign activities for presidential re-election, on November 22, 1963, he traveled to Dallas, Texas with his wife.
The presidential procession was moving slowly towards the center of the city along Elm Street, in a Lincoln Continental Convertible car waving to those who waited for them. In the car were the president, his wife and the governor of Texas, when at 12:30 pm, shots were heard above the uproar of the public who received them.
Kennedy and the governor of Texas, John Connally, were injured, being transferred to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where Connally managed to recover but Kennedy died within 30 minutes.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy had been killed by a bullet that shattered his brain, which would forever change the history of American politics, for the great worldwide consternation that it caused.