2. THE EARLY YEARS: WHO IS JOHN F. KENNEDY?
(1/2)
• Kennedy was President of the
United states from 1961-1963
• Despite his short tenure, he was
one of the highest profile presidents
in history
• Kennedy managed to connect with
the majority of American people
• Was the youngest president in
American History.
3. THE EARLY YEARS: WHO IS JOHN F. KENNEDY?
(2/2)
• Kennedy was born in 1917 in Brookline,
Massachusetts
• His father was a politician and his mother
was a socialite
• Had a rebellious attitude as a teenager
• Younger years were full of illnesses
• Graduated from Harvard with a Bachelor
of Science in International Affairs
4. QUALITIES THAT MADE J.F.K A GOOD PRESIDENT
• Charismatic and Energetic
• Effective Decision maker
• Authoritative
• Led by example/Brave
• Ability to Understand Americans
• Had vision
5. HOW DID JFK’S CHARISMA AND ENERGY
MAKE HIM A GOOD PRESIDENT?
• Kennedy was the youngest and most
charismatic president in history, this
gave Americans a “Fresh” idea and
hope for a stronger America
• His charisma allowed him to connect
to Americans when in congress and in
public
• Personal Magnetism: The way
Kennedy carried himself (good looks,
poise and grace) only added to the
publics’ confidence in him.
6. HOW DID JFK’S DECISION MAKING ALLOW
HIM TO BE EFFECTIVE AS PRESIDENT?
• Kennedy initiated many
important projects ,
solidifying his authority and
power
• The Moon Project allowed
him to put the United States
as the forerunner in Space
technology
• His decision to initiate the
Civil Rights Bill and to stand
up for minorities earned him
the respect of the growing
minority population
• He put forward the Test Ban
Treaty; Limiting the testing
of Nuclear bombs and to
hopefully end the Cold War.
7. KENNEDY’S AUTHORITATIVE AND CONFIDENT
QUALITIES MADE HIM A STRONG PRESIDENT
• Could mobilize people towards his vision and
make use of whatever their strengths were to
achieve his vision
• Through his authoritative manner he was able
to establish The Peace Corps, Raise Minimum
wages, liberalize social security benefits and
Pass bills to promote housing in depressed
areas
• But, over his nearly 3 years in office his
authoritative manner enabled him to cut
individual and corporate income tax rates to
spur economic growth and move forward civil
rights and space technology
• Expert in whatever he was interested in and
Confident in all his decisions and his staff
8. JFK’S BRAVERY AND ABILITY TO LEAD BY EXAMPLE
CAUSED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO LOVE HIM
• As a war hero and recipient of the
Purple heart , he gave people hope
for America
• Americans believed that if he could
carry his wounded fellow soldiers
to safety in battle, he could carry a
nation to prosperity and power
• He never asked more of his staff or
his citizens than he would have
asked of himself
9. KENNEDY’S ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND AMERICANS
MADE HIM AN EXCEPTIONAL PRESIDENT
• Being a religious man, he
could relate to the many
Americans who saw faith as
a true American value
• Able to recognize and
sympathize with the
minorities in the United
States.
• He saw that equality was an
urgent issue that needed to
be addressed to allow growth
in the United States (Civil
Rights Bill)
• Recognized that the lower
and middle class Americans
needed tax breaks for the
economy to grow
10. HOW DID HIS VISON HELP AMERICA?
• Prior to his presidency, the USA was in an
identity crisis
• Americans began to doubt the power of their
nation and the power of capitalism
• The Soviets and Communism appeared to be
ahead of Capitalist America
• Kennedy ignored all these signs and had a
vison to bring America back to the forefront of
the World and restore the confidence of the
American people
• An example is Kennedy’s bold statement that
they would reach the moon before the end of the
decade
