President Kennedy example essay topic

The Sixties were an extremely exciting and revolutionary time of great social and technological change. The changes throughout this era included: assassination, unforgettable fashions in clothing, new music styles, civil rights, gay and womens liberation, a controversial war in Vietnam, the first man landing on the moon, peace marches, World Fairs, flower power, great TV and film and sexual freedom. Throughout the sixties you will find many great memories including: the Kennedys, the Space Program, Woodstock, Martin Luther Kings movements, and artists such as, the Beatles, Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Peter, Paul, and Mary, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, and the Stones. The 35th president to the United States of America, was the youngest ever to be elected. John F. Kennedy held office between the years of 1961 and 1963. He was assassinated before he completed his third year as president, and the nation went into great morning for the one of the most popular presidents of all time.

His achievements, in both foreign and domestic affairs, were therefore limited. Nevertheless, his influence was worldwide, his handling during the Cuban Missile Crisis may have very well prevented war. The youth of America admired him, and perhaps no other president was ever so well liked by the majority of the population. Kennedy brought with him to the presidency an awareness of cultural and historical traditions of the U.S. Because Kennedys time in office eloquently represented the values of the 20th century America, his presidency had an importance beyond its legislative and political achievements Hours after Kennedys assassination, Lyndon B. Johnson was sworn into office as the new president of the United States.

Johnson served from 1963 to 1969. He was one of the most masterful politicians in the history of the Congress of the United States. He was not an innovator of programs or ideas, however he excelled in getting things done. In foreign affairs, Johnson pursued the basic postwar policy of containing Communism. Johnson also reflected many great values of the era, and was considered a well liked president. The sixties was a time of enormous change in civil rights in the U.S. In the early 1950's, racial segregation in public schools was the norm across America.

Although all schools in a given district were suppose to be equal, most black schools were far inferior to the white counterparts. During 1951 and 1952, the Brown vs. Board of Education trial took place. This movement was for segregation in schools to be demolished. The Supreme Courts Brown vs. Board of Education decision did not abolish segregation in other public areas. It did however, declare permissive and mandatory segregation that existed in 21 states unconstitutional. It was a giant step towards desegregation of public schools.

Even partial desegregation of these schools, however, was still very far away, as would soon become apparent In 1955, Montgomery had a municipal law which required all black citizens to ride in the back of city buses. On December 1st of that year, Rosa Parks, a forty-two year old seamstress, refused to give her seat up for a white passenger, and was therefore arrested for this act. Montgomery black community saw this incident as an opportunity to stage a protest against the citys segregation laws. Led by Martin Luther King Jr, the father of the civil rights movements, the boycott of using city buses lasted until 1956. In November of 1956, the Supreme Court declared segregation on city buses unconstitutional. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a very significant event in the civil rights movement that spanned the 1960's.

The boycott was important because it caught the attention of the whole nation, and set the tone for the whole civil rights movement. Martin Luther King Jr, was given leadership within the national movement, and it also showed that the nonviolent method of protest was effective. All throughout history, very few people can recall a period of time when the United States of America has not been at war or in conflict with another country. One of the longest spanning wars, was the Cold War, which consisted of political and economical disagreements after WWII between the United States and the former Soviet Union (USSR). Before this time, they had been allies and a direct military conflict had not occur between the two superpowers. However, many intense economic and diplomatic struggles did erupt.

The development of the Cold War can be traced through several events in world history, the Berlin Blockade, the Marshall Plan, and also the Cuban Missile Crisis. The seeds for tensions between these two countries were planted before World War II, so an exact cause of the war is difficult to pin point. The Marshall plan was to help Europe rebuild itself, while the U.S. also profited greatly. The Soviet Union, however, wanted to give aid to Europe by instilling the influence of communism. Therefore the Soviet Union opposed the Marshall Plan.

Thus the cold war began. One of the events that nearly ended the Cold War and began a nuclear war was the Cuban Missile Crisis. On October 16, 1962, President Kennedy was informed that missiles had been found on Cuba. This crisis, now gave the USSR the upper hand in negotiations and warfare. The United States then put a quarantine in action. At the time, the U.S. had nuclear missiles sites in Turkey.

The United States and the Soviet Union agreed that Turkey and Cuba were to be ridden of any nuclear weapons, leading the Cold War one step further towards an end. The Cold War was probably one of the most important events in American History. This period of time, helped control and put a limitation on the nuclear power used by countries. It started on the 8 August 1965 when American Troops stormed ashore at Da Nang, South of Vietnam, ready to fight the bloodiest war known to man...

The reason was simple: there was a communist threat and their [The US] job was to resist it. Both presidents, Kennedy and Johnson, took an active part in preparing and sending U.S. troops to Vietnam. There were over 900,000 casualties in all. In many Americans eyes, the Vietnam war was lost in many ways. Not only did we fail in confining communism by the end of the war in 1975, but also there were a enormous amount of casualties. Vietnamese women, children, and whole cities were demolished without a thought during this war, and much of the disasters go un accounted for.

The sixties were an era filled with peace, love and happiness for many people. It was a time of seeking new rights for many, and freedom for all of man kind. Protesting became a traditional hobby of the hippies of the 1960's. Anti-war protests were also common all throughout this time period. Music also took a drastic change in the sixties, and artists of this time would never be forgotten in mind or spirit. All the changes that came about due to the sixties, shaped the world we live in today.

Even the youth of the 90's seems to be nostalgic to the sixties era, in clothing, music styles, freedom movements, and the push for independence.