Why Americans Loved the Politics of John F. Kennedy
Why Americans Loved the Politics of John F. Kennedy
Many Americans fell in love with President John Kennedy throughout his presidency. He was handsome, charming, and intelligent, and the media glamorized his life. When he moved into the White House his life and family seemed ideal. Kennedy became an important symbol to America in a time of change and crisis. As event after event occurred, Kennedy began to appear to be a great American leader with many charismatic qualities; he was able to appear strong and in control even during the some of the most difficult times in America, he appeared to have the ideal American family, he had a competitive ego, and would never let anyone see him weak.
Kennedy was born in 1917 to Joseph and Rose Kennedy, a rich, well known family of Boston. His father was a Harvard graduate, athlete, and millionaire. He had high aspirations of his son, but played favorites to Kennedy’s older brother Joe, whom he believed would be President someday. Kennedy, who was a fragile child that suffered from many serious illnesses, including Addison’s disease, could never compete with his older brother. Wanting to gain his father’s attention, he learned how to push back his weaknesses in order to feel masculine, a family trademark. Kennedy followed in his father’s footsteps; he attended Harvard, where he was heavily involved in activities and athletics (Giglio 2-4). Kennedy began his life with advantages of status and wealth, which Shils describe as catalysts to charismatic properties. He put a lot of pressure on himself to be masculine, competitive, and strong, which can be seen in his personality during his presidency.
When Joe was killed in the War, Kennedy inherited the dream of becoming President (Hamilton 689-90). Joseph Kennedy once said, “I got Jack into politics. I was the one. I told him Joe was dead and that it was therefore his responsibility to run for Congress. He didn’t want to…But I told him he had to (Giglio 5).” In order to keep his strong image, the perception of Americans was manipulated into believing Kennedy always wanted to be President, but that wasn’t true; he didn’t want anyone to know he did it all for his father’s approval (Giglio 5). Kennedy began his career in politics, serving...