Inaugural address of John F. Kennedy

U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered his only inaugural address on January 20, 1961 at 12:51 (EST ). It was held by the Chief Justice Earl Warren immediately after depositing the Office oath.

Background

John F. Kennedy was nominated for the presidential election in the United States in 1960 as the Democratic candidate, in which he won against the Vice President and Republican candidate Richard Nixon. Thus he became the youngest man who was elected to the office of the U.S. president and the first Roman Catholic President. However, the title of the youngest president stayed with Theodore Roosevelt.

Inaugural speech

Kennedy was sworn in at 12:51 (EST ) on Friday, January 20, 1961, held in connection his speech.

The speech is 1,364 words long and took 13 minutes and 42 seconds between first and last word. Here, the applause at the end is not counted. With this length, it is the fourth- shortest inaugural address. The speech was also the first to be televised. The speech is widely seen as one of the best office speeches of U.S. history.

Designs

The speech was designed by Kennedy and his speechwriter Ted Sorensen. Kennedy had Sorensen to work through the Gettysburg Address by President Abraham Lincoln and other office talk. Kennedy began in late November 1960 with the collection of thoughts and ideas for the speech. He took a proposals from several friends and advisers, he also asked clergy regarding Bible quotations. After Kennedy made ​​several designs in which he used his own thoughts and some of the proposals. Kennedy used several proposals of economist John Kenneth Galbraith and former Democratic presidential candidate Adlai Stevenson II, the line " Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate. " Speech is almost identical to Galbraith's proposal " We shall never negotiate out of fear. But we Shall never fear to negotiate. ". Stevenson's proposal "if the free way of life does not help the many poor of this world it will never save the few rich. " Was in the speech to "If a free society can not help the many who are poor, it can not save the few who are rich ".

Inauguration Day

The eve of the inauguration was marked by heavy snowfall, but have plans to cancel the speech, discarded. After he had attended a Mass at the Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown, Kennedy walked toward the Capitol. He was accompanied by President Dwight Eisenhower.

Robert Frost took part in the inauguration ceremony and brought a handwritten poem called " Dedication", which was intended for the President. Frost was planning to read a typed copy of the poem at the ceremony, the bright sunlight that was reflected off the snow of the night before, but made ​​it difficult to read. Frost then quoted "The Gift Outright " from memory and handed over the handwritten version of the poem " Dedication" to John and his wife Jacqueline. This framed the poem and wrote on the back: "For Jack. First thing I had framed to be put in your office. . First thing to be hung there " (English: " For Jack The first thing I did frame, to do it in your office, the first thing that is to be hung there ".. . )

"Ask not what your country can do for you" and meaning of speech

Particularly aware of the following two lines were close to the end of the speech:

" And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man. "

" And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but ask what together we can do for the freedom of man. "

In a series of newspaper The Guardian was set to No. 2 in the "Great speeches of the 20th century".