"The Young President": An essay on the life and times of JFK (includes works cited)

Essay by Daytona955iHigh School, 11th gradeA+, March 2003

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The Young President

Throughout history there have been many popular political figures, whose attitudes and ideals have shaped society. Jack Kennedy is one of them. John Fitzgerald Kennedy's political career spanned the 1950's and early 1960's. His election to the presidency brought hope to the United States and the world with his energetic persona and lively family.

As a young child Jack Kennedy (Jack was a nickname for John) had many illnesses including scarlet fever, which almost killed him at age 4, whooping cough, measles and chicken pox, asthma, and diphtheria (Kent 14). These illnesses combined caused a lot of trouble in his early life and thus created problems from the start. Some of these problems plagued him throughout his life, he had to overcome his poor health in order to achieve what he wanted.

The Kennedy clan was a close-knit family; Jack's father was a successful banker in Massachusetts, who quickly became a multimillionaire by investing in shipyards and movie theaters (Kent 13).

Jack's father also established himself in the political community by marrying Rose Fitzgerald, the daughter of a prominent Massachusetts political figure, John Fitzgerald. Jack's father, Joseph, told all his children to be competitors and not to cry or whine if they lost.

Jack's older brother, Joe Jr., was expected by their father to enter politics, but sadly Joe Jr. died while flying a mission in World War II Europe (Colliers 21). Joe was always better than Jack was at school and sports. John grew up in his shadow and although he cared about how his father perceived him, that still didn't cause him to try his hardest at what he did.

Kennedy went to many different private schools, including Dexter in Brookline Massachusetts and Canterbury in New Milford Connecticut. Then finishing most of his high...