Kennedy, by applying strong economic pressure, forced the producers to
return to the earlier lower price levels. His victory earned him the enmity
of many business people, however.
Kennedy sympathized with the aspirations of black Americans, but he
included no comprehensive civil rights legislation in his New Frontier
program, fearing that the introduction into a conservative Congress of such
measures would imperil all his other proposals. The President relied,
instead, on his executive powers and on the enforcement of existing voting
rights laws. He forbade discrimination in new federally aided housing,
appointed a large number of blacks to high offices, and supported Justice
Department efforts to secure voting rights and to end segregation in
interstate commerce. In 1962 he used regular army troops and federalized
National Guard units to force the admission of a black, James Meredith, to
the University of Mississippi, and in 1963 he used federal National
Guardsmen to watch over the integration of the University of Alabama.
Despite his broad visions of the American future, Kennedy enjoyed
limited success in translating his ideas into legislative reality. A
coalition of Republicans and conservative southern Democrats in the 87th
Congress stopped many of his plans for the introduction of social measures.
And even after the Demo_ratic Party increased its majority on Capitol Hill
in the 1962 elections. Congress was slow to cooperate, although it probably
was ready to do so just before his presidency came to an end.
John F. Kennedy presided over the execlusive branch of the United
States government for only a little more than 1,000 days. During that time
American involvement in Vietnam and other areas of Southeast Asia increased
moderately, but the beginnings of a thaw in the cold war were also
noticeable, and in 1963 the. Soviet Union and the United States signed the
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. Kennedy's years in the White House were also
marked by increased social consciousness by the US government. With the
Great Society program of his successor, Lyndon Baines Johnson, Congress
eventually enacted a number of Kennedy's proposals, including medical care
for the elderly and greater opportunities for black Americans.
In addition to his various governmental programs, Kennedy's presidency
was also no_table for a new, vital style. John and Jacqueline Kennedy and
their two children, Caroline and John Jr., quickly captured the imagination
of the nation, and their activities were widely reported by the media.
Cer_tainly the Kennedys exuded a youthful vi-brance, and their interests
seemed unending. Jacqueline Kennedy was responsible for redecorating the
public rooms of the White House and inviting a glittering array of
cul_tural and intellectual leaders to the executive mansion.
An assassin's bullet abruptly ended the life of John Fitzgerald Kennedy
on Novem_ber 22,1963, as he rode in a motorcade through the streets of
Dallas, Texas. The entire nation mourned the tragic death of the Chief
Executive. Many millions watched on television as the 35th President was
buried at Arlington National Cemetery on November 25, 1963.
Every state of the United States and almost every nation in the world
has erected memorials to Kennedy. One of the monu_ments dearest to his
family is the house at 83 Seals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts, where
the late President's parents lived from 1914 until 1921 and where four of
their chil_dren - including John - were bom. The house was repurchased by
the Kennedys in 1966 and was designated a National Historic Site by
Congress in 1967. On May 29, 1969, the 52nd anniversary of John F.
Kennedy's birth, the family turned over the deed of the house to the
National Park Service.
Both of President Kennedy's younger brothers, Robert F. and Edward M.
Kennedy, served in the Senate. Many of the former President's compatriots
hoped to see his goals and promise carried forward when Robert Kennedy, who
had served as his at_torney general and closest adviser, an_nounced early
in 1968 that he would seek the Democratic nomination for President. In
another tragedy that shook the nation to its roots, Robert Kennedy was shot
down by an assassin just after claiming victory in the California
presidential primary. He died in Los Angeles just over 25 hours later, on
June 6,1968.
Presidents at a Glance
|NAME |SERVED |ACHIEVEMENTS |
|1. George |1789-1797 |The first President, he determined in large |
|Washington | |measure what the job of President should be.|
| | |Held the country together during its early |
| | |days and gave it a chance to grow. Ranked by|
| | |historians as a "great" President. |
|2. John Adams |1797-1801 |Saved his country from an unnecessary war. |
| | |Ranked by historians as a "near great" |
| | |President. |
|3. Thomas |1801-1809 |Bought the Louisiana Territory and doubled |
|Jefferson | |the size of the country. Made sure the |
| | |government stayed in the hands of the |
| | |people. Ranked by historians as a "great" or|
| | |"near great" President. |
|4. James |1809-1817 |Allowed the country to get into unnecessary |
|Madison | |war, but made peace as quickly as possible. |
| | |Ranked by historians as an "average" |
| | |President. |
|5. James Monroe|1817-1825 |Took Florida from Spain. Created the Monroe |
| | |Doctrine. Signed the Missouri Compromise. |
| | |Ranked as one of the best of the "average" |
| | |President. |
|6. John Quincy |1825—1829 |Rated by some historians as a failure |
|Adams | |because little was done during his term. |
| | |Some historians rank him as "average". |
|7. Andrew |1829-1837 |Did more to show how great the powers of the|
|Jackson | |office were than any President after |
| | |Washington. Used these powers to help make |
| | |laws. Ranked by historians as a "great" or |
| | |"near great" President. |
|8. Martin Van|1837-1841 |Was caught in one of the nation's worst |
|Buren | |financial depressions. This was unfairly |
| | |blamed on him. Ranked by historians as an |
| | |"average" President. |
|9. William |1841 |Was President for only one month. |
|Henry Harrison | | |
|10. John Tyler |1841-1845 |Made clear that on the death a President the|
| | |Vice President became President with all the|
| | |powers of the office. Served as a President |
| | |without a party. Ranked by most historians |
| | |as "below average". |
|11 .James Knox |1845-1849 |Bullied a small, weak nation (Mexico) into |
|Polk | |fighting a war it did not want, but added |
| | |California and much of the South-west to the|
| | |United States. Settled the Canadian border |
| | |without war. Ranked by historians as a "near|
| | |great" President. |
|12. Zachary |1849-1850 |Knew little about the duties of a President |
|Taylor | |but faced his problems honestly though with |
| | |little political talent. Served only two |
| | |years. Ranked by many historians as "below |
| | |average." |
|13. Millard |1850-1853 |Sent the U. S. fleet to open trade with |
|Fillmore | |Japan. Helped pass the Great Compromise of |
| | |1850. Ranked by historians as "below |
| | |average." |
|14. Franklin |1853-1857 |Put through the Gadsden Purchase acquiring |
|Pierce | |what is now southern Arizona and New Mexico.|
| | |Favored the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which |
| | |opened the door to the Civil War. Ranked by |
| | |historians as "below average." |
|15. James |1857-1861 |Faced the final breakup of the nation over |
|Buchanan | |slavery. Tried hard to prevent war but made |
| | |matters worse instead of better. Ranked by |
| | |historians as "below average." |
|16. Abraham |1861-1865 |Held the nation together in its most |
|Lincoln | |difficult time. In a speech at the |
| | |Gettysburg battlefield he said it was the |
| | |people's duty to make sure "that this |
| | |nation, under God, shall have a new birth of|
| | |freedom, and that government of the people, |
