John F. Kennedy 

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Early Life and Education 

     Kennedy was born at 83 Beal street in Brookline Massachusetts on Tuesday May 29, 1917 at 3:00 pm. John is the second son of John P. Kennedy, he lived in Brookline for the first ten years of his life. John went to school at Edward Devotion School from kindergarden to third grade. In September 1927 Kennnedy moved with his family to a rented twenty room mansion in Riverdale Bronx New York. Two years laterhe moved to a twenty-one room mansion in Bronxville New York. Kennedy went to a private scholl in Riverdale for grades five through seven. For eighth grade he went to a Roman Catholic boarding school in Connecticut. On September 1931 he was sent to a Choate school for grades nine through twelve. It was a school for elite boys in Wallingford Connecticut. In September 1936 he enrolled into SS Normandie. On June 1940 he graduated from harverd with a degree in International Fairs.^[2]

Millitary Service

     In 1941 Kennedy volunteered for the U.S Army and was rejected, but the Navy Seals Accepted him. Later on he was promoted to Lieutenant. On August second 1941, Kennedy and his crew were attacked by the Japanese. This attack became known as The Attack on Pearl Harbor. Later on October 1943 he took command of the Motor Torpedo Boat PT-59.^[3]

Early Poltical Career

     After World War 2 John was considering to be a journalist before running for political office. In 1952 Kennedy recieved only 51.5 percent of the vote, but his win was remarkable. He then won re election in 1958 with 73.6% of the vote, defeating a relative who is unknown. ^[4]Kennedy did not make a great mark as a legislature. He served too breifly in the house to aquire more influence there, and his quick move to the senate showed how much ambition and how much impatients he had with a career as a junior member of the house.^[5]

Kennedy's Presidency

January 20th 1961 to November 22nd 1963

     John F. Kennedy was elected into office January 20th 1961 at the age of 43. Kennedy was the first president born in the twentieth century, he was also the youngest president to be elected into office. On the day of his election, Kennedy presented one of the most memorable Inaugural Address's in American history. John was the first president to have a brother in their cabinet. Kennedy's other brother was elected to the senate in 1962. 

Presidential Salary

Kennedy's presidential salary: $100,000/year + $50,000 expense account (refuse by Kennedy)

The Kennedy Cabinet 

Secretary of State: Dean Rusk

Secretary of Treasury: C. Douglas Dillon

Secretary of Defense: Robert S. McNamera

Attorney General: Robert F. Kennedy

Secretary of Interior: Stewart Lee Udall

Secretary of Agriculture: Orville Lothrop Freeman

Secretary of Commerce: Luther Hartwell Hodges

Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare: Abraham A. Ribicoff

Anthony J. Celebrezze ^[6]

The Civil rights Act of 1964

     In 1964, John F. Kennedy argued for a new civil rights act, and later found out that seventy percent of the African American vote went for Kennedy. The bill was brought to congress on June eleventh, 1963, and in the speech, Kennedy pointed out, "The Negro baby born in America today, regardless of the section of the nation in which he was born, has about one-half as much chance of completing college; one-third as much chance of becoming a professional man; twice as much chance of becoming unemployed; about one-seventh chance of earning $10,000 a year; a life expectancy which is seven years shorter; and the prospects of earning only half as much."

     When Kennedy was assassinated in November, his Civil Rights bill was still being debated by congress. The next presidnet, Lyndon Johnson, who had a poor record on civil rights matters, decided to work on this cause, and ran against a long-time friend, Richard Russel, whole told the senate: "We will resist to the bitter end any measure or any movement which would have a tendancy to bring about social equality and intermingling and amalgamation of the races in our (southern) states." Russel basically then organized 18 Southern Democratic senators to speek for his bill.

           However, three days later on the fifteenth of June, Richard Russel told Mike Mansfield and Hubert Humphrey secretly that he was planning on bringing an end to the speech that was blocking the votes for that bill. The bill was passed 73 to 27. The 1964 Civil Rights act finally made racial discrimination in public places illegal. Employers had to have equal employment offers, and projects involving federal funds could now be ended if ther was evidence of discrimination towards race or color.^[7]

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