John F. Kennedy's life, challenges, and presidential legacy

WALKING a MILE IN JOHN F. KENNEDY'S SHOES

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) was a tremendously important figure in modern American history despite the fact that his presidency was cut short after less than three years by his tragic assassination in 1963. Born into a wealthy and politically influential family, Kennedy served in the U.S. Navy during World War II after which he served as a U.S. Congressman from 1946 until his election as the nation's 35th president, overcoming the significant obstacle of prejudice against Catholics in American politics. Kennedy also suffered from colitis, chronic back problems, and Addison's Disease throughout his career, a fact that was largely hidden from the public in an era where the press maintained a form of "gentlemen's agreement" to avoid publicizing unflattering personal information about political representatives. Likewise, no public mention was ever made of Kennedy's extramarital affairs. His presidency faced several extremely important domestic, international, and geopolitical challenges, including civil rights and worldwide Soviet aggression and expansion into the Western Hemisphere.

Family Background and Early Influences

John F. Kennedy was the second oldest of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., a prominent businessman and U.S. Ambassador to Britain from 1938 to 1940. Joseph Kennedy taught his family (especially his sons) that it was heir duty to excel at everything they did and that they were expected to achieve greatness in their lives (Sorensen, 1965). He had groomed his oldest son, Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. To enter U.S. politics but he was killed during the last year of the Second World War while piloting a plane loaded with explosives in a special mission over occupied France in a special mission to take out Nazi missile launch sites.

Overcoming the Challenges of the U.S. Presidency

Kennedy ran for the U.S. presidency in 1960, in connection with which he had to overcome a long history of anti-Catholic prejudice in the U.S. As well as residual prejudices against Irish-Americans in public office (Sorensen, 1965). As president, Kennedy immediately faced tremendous pressure in connection with civil rights unrest and the defiance of Southern governors to permit black students to enroll at their state universities (Sorensen, 1965). By far, the most significant challenges faced by Kennedy as president were those arising from the efforts of the Soviet Union to impose Communism on European nations, most notably, in Germany in connection with the erection of the Berlin Wall (Roberts, 2000).

In 1961, Kennedy faced the real threat of direct military conflict with the Soviet Union over their installation of missile batteries in Cuba, well within range of the Continental United States (Roberts, 2000; Sorensen, 1965). While exhibiting great courage and shrewdness in negotiation, Kennedy also had the sense to resist the advice of his top military advisors to invade Cuba. While it was never known until many years later after the fall of the Soviet Union, any such military invasion would have been disastrous even more than realized at the time. In addition to the missile sites that were still being assembled, Cuba was already in possession of tactical battlefield nuclear artillery shells and Soviet submarine commanders were authorized to launch their nuclear missiles autonomously in the event of any attack by U.S. forces (Roberts, 2000).