y meant appearing commoner then the ordinary person. However, John. F. Kennedy did not hide his love of the high-life. He broke the mold and invited the crme de la crme to the White House, and entertained them with artists, poets, scientists, musicians, and scholars. The guests would eat gourmet food, and then maybe see a ballet troupe perform, or perhaps they saw a Shakespeare company stage a play. Whatever it was, JFK broke new political ground, changing the perception of a President from a commoner to an intellectual. (Manchester, 156).John F. Kennedy was a man of idealism, and his idealism changed the political landscape. He held that problems are man-made, and can be therefore solved by man. (Kennedy, 2) He was man who believed things of excellence could be achieved, no matter how hard they are to attain. (Sorenson, 256) Kennedy believed that it was the role of the President to ignite hope – for decency, equality, reason and peace. (Sorenson, 257) In a speech at American University in 1963, President Kennedy said:What kind a peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on he world by American weapons of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of a slave. I am talking about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living, the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better life for their children – not merely peace for Americans but peace for all men and women – not merely peace in our time but peace for all time. (Kennedy, 1) This kind of idealistic world vision that Kennedy was known for inspired millions, with him growing a loyal following of the younger generation of the time. He told his fellow Americans to reexamine their attitudes towards peace and freedom. (Kennedy, 6) In fact, he was the one who inspired the youth of the 1960’s to actually participate in the government and the world. He gave them an outlet, the Peace Corps, a...
