THE KENNEDY FAMILY 1960S HISTORY POLITICS OF THE 1960S SALSBERRY
FAMILY TREE
FAMILY BACKGROUND IMMIGRANTS Irish Catholic QUESTION What do we know about the Irish in America that makes this significant? JFK leaving Church
FAMILY BACKGROUND MOM AND DAD Joe Kennedy ( ) Businessman and local leader in Boston, MA First chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Ambassador to the United Kingdom during the early years of WWII Wanted his children to become powerful Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (1890 – 1995) Came from a family of politicians Rose and Joseph Kennedy
FAMILY BACKGROUND BROTHERS AND SISTERS 1. Joseph Kennedy, JR. (“Joe Jr”) 2. John Fitzgerald Kennedy (“JFK”) 3. Rosemary Kennedy 4. Kathleen Kennedy 5. Eunice Kennedy 6. Patricia Kennedy 7. Robert Fitzgerald Kennedy (“RFK” or “Bobby Kennedy”) 8. Jean Kennedy 9. Edward Kennedy (“Teddy Kennedy”) Family portrait
POWER PLAYERS JOSEPH KENNEDY, JR. Joe Sr.’s “chosen son” Bomber pilot in the Navy Died in action during World War II Joseph, Jr., Joe, and John
POWER PLAYERS JOHN F. KENNEDY Took over as “political- standard bearer” after his brother died Also served in the Navy as a torpedo boat commander Became President of the United States of America Appointed his relatives to positions of power JFK at Harvard JFK and brothers
POWER PLAYERS ROBERT F. KENNEDY Appointed Attorney General by his brother Was also expected to become standard-bearer for family after JFK’s death US Senator from New York Civil Rights activist Front-runner in 1968 Democratic Primary before death Robert F. Kennedy
POWER PLAYERS EDWARD “TED” KENNEDY Youngest son Felt pressure. Why? US Senator from Massachusetts Considered running for president in 1984 Died in 2009 Senator Ted Kennedy and President Barack Obama
TRAGEDIES, “THE KENNEDY CURSE” Joe Jr. Killed when his plane, packed with explosives for a top- secret bombing raid, exploded over England John F. Kennedy Survived an attack on his boat during WWII by a Japanese destroyer Assassinated Bobby Kennedy Assassinated JFK in Dallas
TRAGEDIES, “THE KENNEDY CURSE” Teddy Kennedy Chappaquiddick incident Rosemary Diagnosed as mentally retarded when she was a child Had a lobotomy performed in 1941, later sent to an institution Kathleen Died in a plane crash Ted Kennedy’s car after the Chappaquiddick Incident
LIBERALISM AND ELITISM LIBERALISM OF THE 1960S The Kennedys were unapologetically liberal Wanted to: Expand Social Security Help the elderly pay their medical costs Fund educational endeavors Raise the minimum wage Reduce income inequality Promote Civil Rights. THEORY OF ELITISM The same people or families remaining in power How does this sign relate to the tone of the 1960s?