FREE ESSAY ON JFK

JFK

John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States (1961-1963). He was born
in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917,the second oldest in a family of nine
children, the son of financier Joseph P. Kennedy, who served as ambassador to Great
Britain during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. He graduated from Harvard
University in 1940. In 1941, John Kennedy joined the Navy. He became the commander
of a small boat assigned to the battle in the Pacific against the Japanese. After World
War
II he soon decided to run for political office. In 1946, he was elected to the U.S.
Congress, Kennedy, a Democrat, served three terms (six years) in the House of
Representatives, and in 1952 he was elected to the U.S. Senate.In 1953, he married
Jacqueline Lee Bouvier. In the general election on November 8, 1960, Kennedy defeated
Vice President Richard M. Nixon, in a very close race. Kennedy was the youngest man
elected President and the first Catholic. Just after the election, the Kennedy's second
child,
John Jr., was born. 
Kennedy wanted Americans to travel to a more distant destination. In May 1961,
after Alan Shepard became the first American astronaut to fly into space, Kennedy asked
Congress to spend more money on space exploration, with the goal of landing a man on
the moon by the end of the decade.??In 1963, clashes between the police and
demonstrating blacks in Birmingham, Ala., and elsewhere, especially in the South,
induced
the president to stress civil rights legislation. Kennedy's new civil rights message
included
bills to ban discrimination in places of business; to speed up desegregation of public
schools; and to end discrimination in the hiring of workers on federal construction
projects. On Nov. 22, 1963, Kennedy was shot to death in Dallas, Texas, the fourth
United States president to die by an assassin's bullet. The state funeral of President
Kennedy was watched on television by millions around the world. He was buried in
Arlington National Cemetery.
During his time as President, JFK had to make difficult decisions. Many of the
hardest choices concerned the relationship between our nation and the Soviet Union.???
President Kennedy's death caused enormous sadness and grief among all Americans. Most
people still remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard
the news of the murder. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Washington for the
President's funeral, and millions throughout the world watched it on television.???? 
As the years have gone by and other Presidents have written their chapters in
history, John Kennedy's brief time in office stands out in people's memories--for his
leadership, personality, and accomplishments. Many respect his coolness when faced with
difficult decisions--like what to do about the missiles in Cuba. Others admire his
ability to
inspire people with his eloquent speeches. Still others think his compassion and his
willingness to fight for new government programs to help the poor, the elderly and the
ill
were most important. Like all leaders, John Kennedy made mistakes, but he was always
optimistic about the future. He believed that people could solve their common problems
if
they put their country's interests first and worked together.