The Presidency of John F Kennedy

JFK officially declared his intent to run for President onsigned a Nuclear Test Ban treaty to ban the testing of
January 2, 1960. He won his party's nomination on Julynuclear weapons in the atmosphere, on top of the
30, 1960 and on Tuesday November 8, Kennedyground and in the water. The ban did not apply to
defeated Nixon and won the Presidency of the Unitedunderground testing activities. The United States and
States. He was sworn in as President on Januarythe Soviet Union were the initial signatories to the
20,1961. The most remembered part of his inauguraltreaty.
address is his world famous quote "Ask not what yourImmigration: Kennedy proposed a major overhaul of
country can do for you; ask what you can do for yourthe American immigration policy - later known as the
country." He was assassinated on November 22, 1963Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965. This act shifted
- ending his short lived but world changing Presidency.emphasis on immigration from European countries to
Kennedy's presidency was very active and addressedLatin America and Asia. It also shifted the emphasis on
many major issues of the day - the Cuban Missileselection of immigrants towards family reunifications as
Crisis, Latin America and the spread of Communism,opposed to meeting quotas from specific countries.
the Peace Corps, Vietnam, Civil Rights, the SpaceSpace program: Kennedy passionately believed it was
Program and many other issues. Here are thethe United State's destiny to be the leader in the space
highlights of some of his more memorable activitiesrace. To this end, Kennedy approached Nikita
while in office.Kruschchev in June 1961 and in the autumn of 1963
Cuba: Cuba was a very troublesome part of theproposing joint ventures in space exploration. At the
Kennedy Presidency. He was embroiled in the Bay offirst meeting, the Soviet Union was far ahead of the
Pigs episode and the Cuban Missile Crisis.United States in space technology. On the second
The Bay of Pigs was a plan conceived during theoccasion, when America's space program was
Eisenhower administration to invade Cuba and free itmoving ahead of the Soviet program, Kruschchev
from the Communist Fidel Castro. It was orchestratedsaw the advantages of cost-sharing but Kennedy
by the CIA and organized an insurgency built up ofwas assassinated before an agreement could be
anti-Castro Cubans. The United States help train themconstructed.
and on April 17, 1961, Kennedy ordered the invasion toKennedy first made the goal for landing a man on the
proceed. Fifteen Hundred trained Cuban exiles - calledMoon when speaking to a Joint Session of Congress
Brigade 2506 - invaded Cuba but did so without U.S. airon May 25, 1961, saying
support, something Kennedy did not allow to occur."First, I believe that this nation should commit itself to
The plan failed and the invaders were captured orachieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing
killed and Kennedy was forced to negotiate thea man on the Moon and returning him back safely to
release of the captives.the earth. No single space project in this period will be
The Cuban Missile Crisis began on October 14, 1962more impressive to mankind, or more important for the
when American U-2 spy planes took pictures of anlong-range exploration of space; and none will be so
intermediate range missile site under construction indifficult or expensive to accomplish."
Cuba. The photos were shown to Kennedy onCivil Rights: Kennedy's Presidency was plagued by civil
October 16. Against the wishes of his military - whorights issues stemming from the 1954 Supreme Court
wished to conduct an air assault on the missile sites -ruling that racial segregation in schools was
Kennedy enacted a Naval embargo of Cuba andunconstitutional. He felt the conditions that existed in the
entered into negotiations with the Soviets to removeSouth were very explosive and often seemed
the missiles and dismantle the bases. After a verydisconnected from the civil rights movement - fearing
tense period for the world, Kennedy and Krushchevthat a fully engaged President would cause great strife
reached an agreement to remove the missiles in Cubawith Southern whites and make it very difficult to pass
and in exchange the U.S. agreed to never invademeaningful civil rights laws.
Cuba and to remove U.S. missiles stationed in Turkey.However, he did intervene in many actions with use of
Vietnam: Kennedy continued Eisenhower's lead to usefederal marshalls and troops to ensure that people's
limited military action to fight Communism in the Asianrights were protected - the most notable being in 1962
theater. As part of this action Kennedy took steps towhen James Meredith tried to enroll in the University of
help the unstable South Vietnamese government byMississippi and on June 11,1963 when Alabama
sending 16,000 military advisors and Special ForcesGovernor George Wallace blocked two African
troops to the area. In spite of the efforts of these andAmerican students from entering the University of
an increasing number of U.S. personnel, the situationAlabama.
further deteriorated and by July 1963, VietnamIt was on that very evening that Kennedy fully jumped
became a full blown crisis. The administration'sinto this issue by delivering his famous civil rights
response to the crisis was to assist in a change of theaddress on national radio and television. The proposal
leadership of South Vietnam with the overthrow ofmade in the speech became the Civil Rights Act of
President Diem. Unfortunately, the assassination of1964.
Kennedy shortly thereafter left Vietnam a long termKennedy's list of accompisments are much longer this
crisis for the United States - one that may have beenthe summary offered here. He lived in a truly turbulent
resolved very differently had Kennedy been affordedand formative time for this country and was the driving
the time to fully address the challenges.force behind many of the changes that has shaped
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty: In August 1963, Kennedyour country since his Presidency.