RSS Feed
News
Today in History: John F. Kennedy Is Born
05/29/10
John F. Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts. After graduating from Harvard University and serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Kennedy launched his career in politics. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1947 and to the U.S. Senate in 1953. In 1960 he narrowly defeated Republican Vice President Richard Nixon to become the 35th president of the United States and the youngest man ever elected to the nation’s highest office. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address featured the memorable line “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”
Kennedy faced his biggest foreign policy challenge in 1962, when he learned that the Soviet Union was attempting to install nuclear missiles in Cuba. The president explained the grave threat posed by the Soviet arms buildup in Cuba in a report to the American people. His strong response to the Cuban Missile Crisis forced the Soviets to back down and remove the missiles.
On the domestic front, Kennedy introduced programs designed to eliminate poverty and encourage public service. He expressed his support for new legislation to secure equal rights for African Americans in his 1963 Civil Rights Address. Kennedy was shot and killed by an assassin on November 22, 1963.
Read JOHN F. KENNEDY’S INAUGURAL ADDRESS
Read JOHN F. KENNEDY’S REPORT TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE ON THE SOVIET ARMS BUILDUP IN CUBA
Read JOHN F. KENNEDY’S CIVIL RIGHTS ADDRESS