John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917 in Brookline, Massachusetts. His parents, Joseph Patrick and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, had high expectations for all their children and instilled in young John the importance of public service.
“Now Jack,” his father wrote in a letter one day, “I don’t want to give the impression that I am a nagger, for goodness knows I think that is the worse thing any parent can be, and I also feel that you know if I didn’t really feel you had the goods I would be most charitable in my attitude toward your failings. After long experience in sizing up people I definitely know you have the goods and you can go a long way…It is very difficult to make up fundamentals that you have neglected when you were very young, and that is why I am urging you to do the best you can. I am not expecting too much, and I will not be disappointed if you don’t turn out to be a real genius, but I think you can be a really worthwhile citizen with good judgment and understanding.”
During his ten years in Brookline, John developed a strong sense of self and character that he would carry with him to the White House. After one of the closest elections in U.S. history, John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President of the United States on January 20, 1961. Kennedy’s administration came at an especially turbulent time for the country. Relations between the United States and the Soviet Union were tense. Polls showed that more than half of Americans thought war with the Soviet Union was inevitable.
Americans also faced difficult circumstances at home. African Americans were barred from public facilities, denied the right to vote, and subjected to racism and violence. Other people of color, those with disabilities, and those who identified as LGBTQIA, were also marginalized. Women also faced discrimination, especially in the workplace where work and pay disparities existed. Poverty and unemployment were widespread. The new president had many pressing issues to face.







John F. Kennedy offered the country hope and the vision for change. Despite facing many challenges, Kennedy accomplished much in his three years as president. Though his time in office was tragically cut short, his ideas and values still resonate today, inspiring new generations in the 21st century.
Inaugural Address
“Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
“All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, not in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.”
