The Kennedy Mystique – 20.1 & 20.2

Joseph P. Kennedy Father of the President, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. was a very successful businessman from Boston and later Ambassador to Great Britain under Franklin Roosevelt.

Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Mother of President Kennedy, Rose married Joseph in 1914 and had 9 Children. –Joe Jr. –John –Rosemary –Kathleen –Eunice –Patricia –Robert –Jean –Teddy

Joseph Jr. Joseph Kennedy Jr., the oldest of the Kennedy family was “slated” by his father to become President. Joseph was a Harvard graduate, who quit school to enroll in the Navy as a pilot during World War II. Joseph was killed over Nazi occupied France in a hazardous volunteer mission.

John F. Kennedy As a result of the death of Joe Jr., the political aspirations of “father Joe” were pinned on John F. Kennedy or “Jack” the second son. “JFK” was a Harvard graduate who also served in the Navy during World War II, and later became a Congressman and Senator from Massachusetts. Kennedy won the presidential election of 1960 and was the second youngest President.

The Election of 1960 On September 26, million TV viewers watched the first ever televised presidential debate It affects voters in favor of Kennedy “That night image replaced the printed word as the natural language of politics.”

1960 Election

JFK

Rosemary Kennedy

Rosemary Kennedy – the third of the Kennedy children – reportedly was slower to develop as a child. Rosemary’s learning disabilities, coupled with her violent mood swings as a teenager prompted her father to purchase a lobotomy for the girl. The lobotomy left Rosemary incapacitated – she could no longer take care of herself. Rosemary died in 2005 at age 86.

Kathleen Cavendish (Kennedy) Kathleen, or “Kick” as the family called her, grew up in England as her father served as the ambassador to England. Kick was named England’s “Most exciting debutante in 1938” – but was ostracized by the family because of her marriage to William Cavendish who was not Catholic. Cavendish died in action during WWII. Kick was killed in a plane crash while in route to get her father’s blessing for her second marriage.

Robert Kennedy Robert “Bobby” Kennedy was the third son. Like his two brothers, Robert was also a Harvard graduate who went on to serve briefly in the Navy, and then find his place in politics. With the election of brother John, Bobby was appointed Attorney General during the Kennedy Administration.

Bobby Kennedy Bobby continued to serve as Attorney General for Lyndon Johnson, before stepping down to run for a Senate seat from New York. Bobby went on to run in the presidential election of 1968, where he was assassinated in a hotel kitchen after a victory in the California primary.

Edward “Teddy” Kennedy Teddy Kennedy, the fourth and last son of Joseph and Rose followed his older brothers footsteps by attending Harvard where he was forced to withdraw for cheating, then followed a life in politics. Teddy was elected to the Senate in 1962 to the seat left vacant by his brother, and held the position until 2009.

Teddy Kennedy Teddy was a presidential candidate in 1980, where he lost to Ronald Reagan. Serving 47 years in the senate, Kennedy was the fourth longest serving senator in U.S. history. He died of brain cancer on August 26, 2009 at the age of 77.

JFK & Camelot John F. Kennedy’s presidency was filled with glamour, grace, elegance and wit. During his time in the White House, Kennedy entertained many artists, musicians, actors and celebrities. As a result, the Kennedy years were known as the age of “Camelot.”

The Kennedy Mystique Americans were fascinated with the new, young president and his family. When it was learned that JFK could read 1,600 words a minute, thousands of people enrolled in speed- reading courses. Women adored the first lady’s sense of taste and culture. American women thought JFK to be handsome, while men believed the first lady “Jackie” to be beautiful.

The Kennedy Administration For the first time in years, Americans had a President that they could “connect” with. Did you know? –Youngest President elected to office. –First President born in the 20 th century. –First Roman Catholic President –First President to have served in the Navy. –First President to be outlived by his parents.

Bay of Pigs Invasion Nine days after Kennedy’s election he learned of plan to invade Cuba. –Although he had his doubts, he approved it. Everything went wrong. Approximately 1,400 faced 25,000 Cuban troops backed by Soviet equipment. Kennedy accepted blame for the fiasco.

Berlin Crisis In the 11 years since the Berlin Airlift, 3 million East Germans (20%) had fled to West Berlin. Their departure dangerously weakened East Germany’s economy. Khrushchev threatened to cut off West Berlin to solve the problem.

The Berlin Wall Construction of the Berlin Wall ended the Berlin crisis but further aggravated Cold War tensions. It solved the problem of East German refugees. However, it became a symbol of Communist oppression.

Cuban Missile Crisis For six days in October 1962 the U.S. and U.S.S.R. nearly went to nuclear war. Aerial photographs revealed Soviet missile bases in Cuba that could reach U.S. cities within minutes. In Florida, 100,000 troops waited for invasion orders.

Cuban Missile Crisis: Resolved Khrushchev offered to remove the missiles if the Americans wouldn’t invade Cuba. The U.S. also agreed to remove missiles from Turkey. The leaders agreed, and the crisis ended.

The New Frontier Kennedy called on Americans to explore uncharted areas in: –Science & space –Ignorance and prejudice –Poverty and surplus Two main goals: –Race to the moon –Peace Corps Volunteer assistance to the developing nations of Asia, Africa & Latin America.