It would be highly unpredicted that by the end of September 26, 1960, an unknown senator from Massachusetts would become a star. The young, Catholic senator was John F. Kennedy. It is now common knowledge that without the nation’s first televised debate that Kennedy would have never became president. But beyond securing his presidential career, the 60-minute duel between the notable Senator and Vice President Richard Nixon fundamentally altered political campaigns, television media, along with America’s political history. “it’s one of those unusual points on the timeline of history where you can say things changed very dramatically- in this case, in a single night,” stated by Alan Schroeder, media historian and associate professor at Northeastern …show more content…
Kennedy polled only about 100,000 more votes than Nixon out of over 68 million votes. The electoral college awarded the election to Kennedy by a 303-219 margin, despite Nixon winning more states than Kennedy. On November 12, 1960, four days after Kennedy winning the election, he stated “It was the TV more than anything else that turned the tide.” Post-debate, candidates could no longer afford to ignore the potential power of the television. The next televised presidential debate wouldn't take place for 16 years, largely because candidates became wary of their influence. Lyndon B. Johnson was too intimidated by the medium to take on Barry Goldwater in 1964, and Nixon, having been burned before, refused to debate on TV in both 1968 and 1972. Televised debates reemerged 1976, when incumbent president Gerald Ford agreed to take on his Democratic challenger, Jimmy Carter. They've been standard practice in each campaign season since. After the big debate, how you presented yourself, how you looked, and how you sounded all mattered based on the television. “Before the television debates most Americans didn’t even see the candidates- they read about them, they saw photos of them” said Larry Sabato, political analysis at the University of
Subsequently, not being satisfied with the actions that were being taken by President Dwight David Eisenhower’s administration, in the 1960s presidential election, the American electorate elected President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a first-term Senator from Massachusetts over the incumbent Vice President of the United States of America under President Dwight David Eisenhower: Vice President Richard Milhous Nixon. A lecture from POSC 458 - the Vietnam Wars seems to indicate that Vice President Richard Milhous Nixon’s poor performance in the first televised presidential debates could have been just as consequential if not more, than a rejection of President Dwight David Eisenhower’s policies towards the Vietnam War by the voters as television
In the year of 1960, violence was spreading with the rise of advent conflict, solutions had to be firmly established by the candidates John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon during the first televised presidential debate. Political ads and their representation of their beliefs and solutions on camera provided a vital part in the angle of vision, appeals, and style of each candidate. Both presented their solutions, Kennedy seeming more credible and graceful than his opponent. An intelligent, clear demeanor was demonstrated for Kennedy.
The Kennedy-Nixon debates had a significant impact on the outcome of the Election of 1960 and shaped the way in which developing a public image could play a major role in the development of a successful political campaign. Kennedy emphasized his character and the background that he was from which included being born into a wealthy family and receiving a high end education at several of the top universities in the country. On the other hand, Nixon stressed the importance of his eight years as Vice President and as himself being a man who could relate to the average American who worked his way through college and far into the workplace. In the general election on November 8, 1960, Kennedy defeated Richard Nixon in an extremely close race. Kennedy, at the age of 43, was the youngest man elected president and the first Catholic.
To have reached adulthood in modern America is to have lived a life haunted by the political trials and fibrillations of Richard Nixon: Commie-hunter in the postwar Congress, globe-trotting veep to an unappreciative Dwight Eisenhower, sweaty television debater overcome by a cool Jack Kennedy, loser even for governor of California, he was nonetheless propelled into a melodramatic presidency in 1968 by the war in Vietnam and the implosion of the Democratic Party. He was and always would be with
In July 1960 the Democrats nominated John Fitzgerald Kennedy, who narrowly defeated Republican candidate Richard Nixon, a presidential candidate. Kennedy's first economic proposals were intended to counteract the effects of the economic recession for which it was necessary to increase public spending. Other measures were taken to help economically depressed regions and to raise the minimum wage of workers employed in interstate commerce. However, much of its national policy agenda was rejected by Congress.
In his “Inaugural Address”, newly elected president, John F. Kennedy, juxtaposes time frames, contextualizes America’s prior history, and challenges the audience’s perspectives in order to spark change in his country, ultimately inspiring citizens to make a difference using his plan for action. First, Kennedy creates contrast of time through the use of juxtapositions in order to back up his argument and initiate change. Take, for example, how he mentions that, “we observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom- symbolizing an end as well as a beginning…” This contrast between time periods of republican rule versus democratic rule illustrates a shift of thinking in plans for America.
DBQ - 1960 Election This election, Senator John Kennedy is up against Vice President Richard Nixon. America is growing more and more restless and believes that this election could change America for the better. Although Nixon is more experienced, Kennedy is a better candidate for president because he advocates for change, concentrates on America’s issues, and is equal to if not better than Nixon. First of all, Kennedy would be a better president because he intends to enact change in America.
This caused Nixon and Eisenhower to win on a grand scale. He was Eisenhower’s Vice President for 2 terms and in 1960, Nixon won the Republican Presidential Nomination. He ran against John Fitzgerald Kennedy and lost. The race between Nixon and Kennedy was considered the closest Presidential Election in American history. It was also the first time the presidential debates were nationally televised.
John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon both competed in the 1960 presidential election. This election allegedly represents the Electoral College functioning as designed. Even though Kennedy lost the popular vote by a small margin, he won most of the electoral votes. As a result, he was elected President. He won regardless of the electoral college in minor addition to the overwhelming majority of the crucial states (History).
The story covered many different topics ranging from the Women’s Rights Movement to the Manson Murders. The book was intended for people who are interested in the impacts the 1960s had on the United States, and people interested in learning more about how much changed in the 1960s from a first-person perspective. The point of this book is to examine American society in the 1960s and to highlight the role the media played in impacting events like Vietnam and the Women’s Rights Movement. This book teaches us about how impactful the 1960s were on American
Both Rose and Joseph Kennedy raised phenomenal kids, each and every one of them grew up to be something in life. John F. Kennedy remarkably stood out over his brothers and sisters, he had the kind of charm anyone admired. Early in Kennedy’s career he engaged in journalism that soon led him to joining the House of Representatives in 1946. “At this point he was mainly concerned with domestic politics and showed few signs of the internationalism for which he later became famous” (Kennedy, John F.). Suddenly following in 1952 he was elected Senator for Massachusetts, then marrying his wife Jacqueline Lee Bouvier the following year.
On January 20, 1961, forty-three-year-old John F, Kennedy delivered his inaugural address in Washington D.C after being sworn in as the thirty-fifth United States President. He memorably captured the attention of the entire nation with one of the finest speeches written to date, tugging on the heartstrings and logistically addressing the worries of many Americans. Making his point clear and comprehendible, Kennedy reached larger audiences than his predecessors, bringing a sense of calmness to the public during the height of the Cold War, national talk of communism, and the impending fear of nuclear attacks. He took austere consideration to the chaos erupting both internationally and nationally by instilling a sense of union amongst Americans in attempts to creating lasting peace. Utilizing a fearless rhythm of persuasiveness and motivational tactics, Kennedy connects to his audience through emotional
The title Kennedy & Nixon The Rivalry That Shaped Postwar America reflects the conflict between political figures Kennedy and Nixon. It depicts them as both friends and rivals. In this book we would learn about America after WWII in the mid-1900s. The political powers of the Kennedys, Eisenhower, Franklin Roosevelt, and Nixon are all important characters in this book. Throughout the book there is a clear time-line of events from the start of JFK and Nixon 's political career, to their various political offices, to JFK 's assassination, all the way through Nixon 's election and the events with Watergate.
John F. Kennedy was known for his charming, charismatic, and relatable personality which significantly attributed to him winning the presidency in 1960. These admirable characteristics of his were easily seen in his speeches as U.S. senator and as president, in which it was apparent he not only had the charm, but also incorporated his personal values into his administration as a public servent. One speech in particular which highlights this fact is his “City Upon a Hill” speech. John F. Kennedy’s “City Upon a Hill” speech was given on Jan. 9th 1961 as his final speech prior to being sworn in as president, which he delivered to the general court of Massachusetts. In this speech, Kennedy compared the impending challenges of his presidency to the troubles facing the first Puritan settlers of Massachusetts in the 1600's in John Winthrop’s original “city upon a hill” speech.
Kennedy wisely sticks to using pathos throughout his entire speech, rather than relying on his then-minimal ethos or allowing his stirring speech to become bogged down by logos represented by the dull facts and figures of statistics. As a very young President just starting his first term, Kennedy lacks the reputation and reliability that an older, more experienced politician might have available. While it is true that most of the nation had seen him on television during the Nixon-Kennedy Presidential debates, those debates were the near-total of the people’s exposure to the dashing young President, and a pretty face does not a solid political reputation make! However, no matter how dashing and heroic he might have appeared to be in those