Notes compiled from a range of resources that helped me to gain an A* in A Level History
Includes
The presidential election of 1960 and reasons for Kennedy’s victory; the policies and personalities of the Kennedy administration; the ideas behind the ‘New Frontier’
Challenges to American po...
What was JFKs background? Rich/ Poor? Ethnicity? Region? Wife? Health?
• Wealthy, ambitious Irish- American family
• Kennedy had Addison’s disease (hormone imbalance) and colitis (inflation of colon)
compression fractures of the spine and chronic prostates (inflation of prostate gland)
required a lot of medicine, had to be injected with painkillers by ‘Dr Feelgood’ and
amphetamines
• Anti-Catholic attitude
• Kennedys ethnicity was American
• Jaqueline Kennedy Onassis
War Record:
• Military service in the us navy in 1941
• Commanding Patrol Torpedo Craft
• Campaigns in allies struggle to roll back Japanese from conquests
• Earnt a Navy and Marine Corps medal and a purple heart
Who were his family? Were they influential?
• Jacqueline Kennedy – wife
• John F. Kennedy Jr. - son
• Caroline Kennedy – Daughter
• Patrick Bouvier Kennedy - Son
• Joseph P. Kennedy – Father
• Rose Kennedy - Mother
• Robert F. Kennedy – brother
, • Ted Kennedy - Brother
• Eunice Kennedy – Sister
• Rosemary Kennedy – Sister
• Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. - brother
• Jean Kennedy – Sister
• Patricia Kennedy – Sister
• Kathleen Cavendish – sister
What was his career before he became president?
• Worked as a reporter in Hearst newspapers after the navy and in 1946 won election to
Kennedy won election to the US congress representing working –class Boston district
• Served three terms in US house of representatives earning the reputation as a
conservative democrat
• Re-elected in 1948 and in 1950
• 1952 ran for US Senate and defeated Republican incumbent for another
Massachusetts family with a long political history
• 1956 ran for the vice presidency but lost, but gained exposure
• Re-elected to the senate in 1958 and became a member of foreign relations committee
• 1960 democratic presidential nomination
What is the Kennedy Curse?
• Assassinations of President Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy
• Plane crash in 1999 and other plane crashes such as one in 1948 in France
• 1969 car crash
• RFKs son died of a drug overdose after struggles of watching his dad's assassination
on tv and a skiing accident in 1997
,• Another accused of rape and another accused of murder
• JFKs sister rosemary died after failed brain surgery
• JFKS infant's son born early and died on a lung condition
• Ted Kennedy lost a leg to cancer
, Why did Kennedy win the 1960 presidential election?
• Realized the importance of effective marketing
• ‘Kennedy for me campaign’
• Adverts
• Merchandise/ badges/ hats
Nixon:
• Kitchen debate
• Tricky-dicky
• Vice-president
• Checkers speech – accusations of fraud
• Slush funds
• Accused a female opponent of being communist
• Impeached
• Venezuela
• Goodwill ambassador
• Eisenhower 1953-61
• Senator of California- West coast not produced a president- chip on shoulder and
paranoia
• Stepped in twice due to Eisenhower's illness – experienced
Who was JFK? - Background:
Strengths Weakness
• Wealthy family • Illness – Addison's disease, colitis,
• Wartime service fractures of spine and chronic
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