s to strengthen his lower back, which was injured in a football game, just so he could be accepted into the service. While commanding the torpedo boat PT- 109, he was responsible for saving the lives of his crew members. This turned into one of the most famous war stories in history and was later turned into a movie. His bravery during this famous event won him the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. JFK took these great traits to the most powerful seat in our government in 1960. At age 43, he became this country's youngest, and our first Roman Catholic president in history. Because of these flaws, he only beat Nixon by less than one percent of the popular vote. He took the office with his new vice president Lyndon B. Johnson. This was a surprise at first, because he opposed Kennedy as the Democratic Party's candidate. Kennedy was able to persuade Johnson to run with him and they later proved to be a good team.Johnson was not the only Democrat opposed to Kennedy. Frankly, many people disliked the President because his views conflicted with the party's. He was characterized as a liberal by many, but the reality was the JFK did what he thought was right. For example, he went against the liberals and failed to take a strong stand against McCarthyism. He also took a strong stand for the civil rights of blacks in the South and unemployment. This caused much strife between Kennedy and the Democrats. John F. Kennedy was so popular probably because of the way he stood up for his beliefs. He was also loved because he was the major factor in the Space race. In this point and time we were battling the USSR for the lead. He guaranteed and came through with sending astronauts to the moon. This may be insignificant as far as politics go, but it gave American citizens a sense of pride and patriotism.John F. Kennedy was also a hero to our country because he got our country out of two serious conflicts. Almost immediately after taking office...
