JFK

THE "CAMELOT" PRESIDENCY OF JOHN F. KENNEDY

The Camelot Years:

The years in which John F. Kennedy served as President of the United States (1961-1963) are often referred to as the "Camelot Years," due to his efforts to move the country forward and his image as a youthful, vigorous and confident leader, not to mention the presence of his eloquent and sophisticated wife, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. These "Camelot years" were also highlighted by Kennedy's inaugural address in 1961 in which he summoned all Americans to shoulder "the burden of a long twilight struggle. . . against the common enemies of man -- poverty, disease and war itself" (Schlesinger, 1965, p. 56).

Kennedy's Accomplishments:

During these years, Kennedy accomplished much which helped to invigorate the country and bring together all Americans for a common cause. Kennedy took office in the midst of a recession and his first objective was to promote economic recovery which was accomplished by increases in social security payments, raising the minimum wage and by providing funds to extend jobless benefits for the unemployed. In 1963, when unemployment was high among young persons and African-Americans, Kennedy initiated a huge reduction of more than $13 billion in personal and corporate income taxes which he predicted would "produce new businesses, create jobs and provide the revenue to balance the budget within three years," (White, 1961, p. 178).

Kennedy also accomplished a great deal in the areas of health, education, civil rights and the problems linked to the cities, especially with the introduction of the Medicare program which provided hospital insurance to the elderly covered by social security. His most extensive program for social legislation included a voting rights bill, a bill to control air pollution and a comprehensive civil rights bill, one that came about as the result of the race riots in the South in 1963. Although Kennedy's administration was often marked by political blunders, such as the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and the Cuban Missile Crisis, and has been viewed by some historians as being full of hype and sensationalism, his term as President was quite successful and made it possible for some major social advancements when Lyndon Johnson became President in 1963 after Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas.

REFERENCES

Schlesinger, Arthur M. (1965). A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House. New York: Random House.

White, Theodore H. (1961). The Making of the President, 1960. New York: Doubleday, Inc.

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