A New Generation
John F. Kennedy and a New Generation, by David Burner, discuss his presidency with regards to his youth, style and courage, as opposed to his actual achievements. Many people feel that Kennedy's term was full if image boosting events and lacked substance and outstanding accomplishments. Kennedy appealed to the public with his style and looks. Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, appealed to certain groups which formed the solid support of the family's power. Many groups, such as Jews, blacks, blue-collar democrats, Hispanics, and Asians supported him because he "represents a partial fulfillment of a national promise that Americans even of recent immigrant background might reach for wealth, homes, education for their children, or an ideal of justice" (Burner 1). Like Franklin D. Roosevelt and his fireside chats, JFK made the voters responsive to the "air of easy confidence" he portrayed (Burner 48). In 1960, Kennedy ran for the presidency with Senator Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas, against Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon. The debates between Nixon and Kennedy were televised. Burner believes that "Nixon's biggest error turned out to be agreeing to this series of four debates" (Burner 53). Nixon appeared
The Civil Rights movement has been an opening for years. President Eisenhower dealt with an issue in Little Rock, Arkansas, which required federal troops to address a segregation in schools. Yet, Burner believes that Kennedy's civil rights had a "tone which was superior to that of the Eisenhower years" (Burner 126). Kennedy supported blacks to earn their votes. He supported the Greensboro, North Carolina lunch counter sit in, and the desegregation of the Coast Guard Academy. Also, when Martin Luther King got arrested, JFK called his wife, Coretta, to show his concern. It is believed that this was done for support during his campaign and to help the civil rights issue. I believed from reading the book, that JFK's only major accomplishments were the Peace Corps and the space program, with his foreign issues full of flaws and mistakes. From my understanding his looks and elegance, with the aid of the television, sold himself to the public. He enlightened the people with his image, and I believe he changed the stereotype of a president, but he did not create much change in the United States. This book helped me understand better John F. Kennedy's relations ships with other political representatives. dull and unattractive, while Kennedy performed with maturity and style. He pledged to "get the country moving again" with his New Frontier policy (Kennedy et al 597). Kennedy won by a narrow margin and became the youngest president elected
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Approximate Word count = 982
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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