50 years ago on November 22, President John F. Kennedy was
assassinated. It was a historic moment
in the story of the United States. Most
adults who were alive in November of 1963 can tell you where they were when
they heard the President had been shot.
John Kennedy changed America and changed the presidency in
just the few short years he held the office.
He was the youngest president ever elected, the only Catholic, and a war
hero. His family was as close to
American royalty as one can get. He was
the second born son to Joseph and Rose Kennedy.
For most of his life, he accepted his position as second eldest. The high family expectations were placed on
his older brother, Joseph. Joe was to be
the politician and the face of the family.
Unfortunately, Joe was killed during World War II.
For his service during World War II, John Kennedy received
the Naval and Marine Corps Medal and qualified for the Purple Heart. The story of his heroics followed him into
politics and provided a strong foundation of his leadership qualities.
During his presidency he faced all kinds of obstacles,
foreign and domestic. This is the height
of the Cold War, the Civil Rights Movement, and the dawn of live television
coverage. For the first time in history
live news feeds captured events while they were happening and these images were
delivered to Americans across the country.
His youthful and energetic appearance played well on television. He had frequent issues with the communist
Soviet Union. He was at the helm as the
country came about as close to nuclear war as we would like during the Cuban
Missile Crisis. He set the agenda for
our journey into space and landing on the moon.
The 1960’s were a chaotic and exciting time in the United States and
John F. Kennedy was in the middle of it all.
Given the polarizing events of the 1960’s, Kennedy was not
loved by all. When tough decisions are
required, often groups feel alienated and rejected. To many John Kennedy was dangerous. This may be why Lee Harvey Oswald felt
compelled to assassinate him.
On a trip to Dallas, Texas, as the President, First Lady and
the Governor of Texas were driving through the city; John Kennedy was fatally
shot from a high powered rifle by a man in the Book Depository.
As a result of the brutal assassination as well as his
commitment to America, John Kennedy has gone down in history as an iconic president. The country and the news have been honoring
his memory as we are approaching the 50 anniversary of his death. Although the news specials have focused on
the events leading up to his death, it is the life he led that sets him apart.
This is a link to a site honoring JFK: http://www.jfk50.org/
What qualities do you think make a good president? Why?
Who is your favorite president and why?
If you do not have one, ask your parents or some other trusted
adult. If they don’t know, do some
research.
He made a good president because he truly loved America and he could make decisions that were good for the country. He also served as a soldier which probably helped him make better decisions and made him wonder. My favorite president is George Washington because he was the first president.
ReplyDeleteI think that truly caring about your country and the people in your country is a huge quality that all presidents need. If your president didn't care about your country and didn't care about you then he is not a good president. My favorite president is Abraham Lincoln because he put an end to slavery. If he hadn't done that then the United States of America would be extremely different. I don't think that we would still have slavery but people would support it more because they got so used to having slaves do all their work for them.
ReplyDeleteThere are so many qualities that a good president needs. He/she needs to be a great leader, brave, inspirational, courageous, thoughtful of the people, wise, loyal to their country, and smart. A good president needs to have one goal- to benefit the country and make it better. To do this, you need to have your people have faith and trust in you. The president needs to make speeches to talk about who he/she is and to state his ideas that would bolster the country. They also need to think and state wise decisions about what actions the country will make in different situations, like to help another country with war or to go in war with another country. This will show the people that the president is wise and strong with many ideas that would help improve the country. I like George W. Bush because he did a lot to help the country, like what happened on September 11, 2001 and problems with Iraq. He probably wasn't the most perfect president, but every president has had his flaws.
ReplyDeleteI think a good President should have qualities like caring, faith in citizens, and trust to know that your people believe in you. I like Thomas Jefferson because he sent Lewis and Clark to explore the far west, he needed to have faith that his people believed in him. He really wanted to improve the people of the United States life and there kids life.
ReplyDeleteI think Kennedy was always one of my most favorite presidents, especially because he happened during such an interesting time, has an interesting back round, and did great things for our country(even though he only was President for 3 years, he fought in a war before that.) On that note, a good President is a strong yet humble, aggressive yet tame, and will make big steps that are for the good of the PEOPLE.
ReplyDeleteyeah! power to the people!!!
I think truth ,honesty, smart , and someone who looks out for the people makes a good president because that would make me feel more safe. My favorite president is probably Ronald Reagan because he got us out of the cold war.
ReplyDeleteI think that a president must put the needs of his people first. He should include all people in his decision and be very popular in the world. A good president also wouldn't start a war unless absolutely necessary. A good president will make his people feel safe. My favorite president is George Washington because he gained our independence and fought with his army. He made the people feel safe after the Revolutionary War.
ReplyDeleteI think that a good president has to be able to control his power and not be corrupted. If the president is corrupted by his power he may make bad decisions that could harm the people of the United States. I think that Abraham Lincoln will always be my favorite president because he fought for equal rights and paid his life for it but was able to help stop slavery.
ReplyDeleteSome qualities I think that make a good president are leadership, cooperation, loyal, and respectful. I think these qualities are all good because they can lead to a successful person and country. My favorite president is JFK because he helped our country through one of the biggest wars we have ever fought in.
ReplyDeleteQualities that make a good president are being loyal to your country, brave, and leadership to lead your country in a good way. My favorite president is John F. Kennedy because he led our country through a huge war, he would stay calm under any circumstances and made good decisions for our country.
ReplyDeleteJFK was an amazing president. Qualities that make a good president are being loyal to your country, brave, and leadership to lead your country in a good way.I think truth ,honesty, smart , and someone who looks out for the people makes a good president because that would make me feel more safe. My favorite president is JFK because he helped this country in many ways.
ReplyDeleteI think that there are many qualities for a president, but if I listed them all it would take forever. The main qualities to me are- Be loyal to your country, do what is best for the country. -Be smart, I know that sounds corny but it is true, you have to be smart in order to be a president and to be good one. -Honesty, being brave, and being cooperative. My favorite president is probably JFK because he had so many great traits to being a president. He was a great man and did not deserve to die so unexpectedly.
ReplyDeleteI think someone who can speek in public with out being scared or stuttering has good qualities to be a president. It just shows that they are not afraid if anything bad were to happen. I also would like someone who is very honest and knows what they're doing. My favorite president is George Washington because his whole story of how he became president is very interesting.
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ReplyDeleteA leader needs vision, intelligence, and charisma. Vision to know where to lead the country, intelligence to know how to lead the country there, and charisma to get the rest of the country to follow. In my perspective Abraham Lincoln was a great president because he saved the Union during the American Civil War. His actions eventually led to the passing of the 13th amendment, which ended slavery and gave everyone the same amount of rights.
ReplyDeleteThe qualities a good president needs are: common sense, the ability to listen to both sides (democrat and republican), and a kind soul. Common sense and the ability to listen to both sides sort of go together; it's common sense to listen to both sides of our government. My favorite president is Abraham Lincoln because he ended slavery.
ReplyDeleteQualities that i think make a good president are leadership, experience, loyalty, and honesty. It all makes a great person and president. With these qualities, the president will be thoughtful of the people and have great judgement of what to do with the country. My favorite president is Ronald Regan. He rescued the country from a terrible recession, he brought about the fall of the Soviet Union, and won the Cold War.
ReplyDeleteThe qualities of a good president are: Trust, loyalty, respect, dedication, honor, kindness, a helping person, and an understanding one too. These are good qualities because you are running an entire country. People need to be able to trust you, and know that they are in good hands. Their whole financial life is really on the shoulders of the president. My favorite president is George Washington. he was the man that really got this country stated and running. He is part of the foundation of the United Sates.
ReplyDeleteA good president needs to be trust-worthy, kind, academic, caring, and hard working. They need to be loyal to their country and have respect. They need to be brave and courageous. If a president isn't all these great characteristics, nothing would get done. For example, if a president isn't hard working, our country would be in horrible stress. They wouldn't get anything done. That could lead to distress in our country. They need to know what they are doing. The citizens need to trust their president with things. My favorite president is John F. Kennedy. He brought our country out of a horrible war. He was very trust-worthy and kept our country in control through a horrible time.
ReplyDeleteQualities of a good president are: loyalty, bravery, trust worthy, caring, and courageous. These traits are in a good president because he will know what to do in a bad situation and the people can depend on him. The people will know that the president made a well thought decision and know that it will make the country stronger. My favorite president is John F. Kennedy. He lead our country in the right direction and brought our country out of the Cold War.
ReplyDeleteThe qualities that make a good president are, the ability to make good decisions, good speaking skills, ability to stay calm, take charge, work well under pressure, and stay open minded. The qualities that make someone a leader are to, be responsible with power, and be in charge of millions of people at the same time. My Dad’s favorite president is Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR is his favorite because he defeated the Nazis and won World War II.
ReplyDeleteI think to be a good president you have to do things that people will like and make them say "Wow I really like what he is doing." Also being loyal to your country. My favorite president is Ronald Reagan because I like the fact that he was an actor before a president. I think its really cool.
ReplyDeleteI think the qualities of a good president include being loyal, being trustworthy, faithful, and fair. My favorite president is probably Abraham Lincoln because he did so much stuff for our country that has helped us get where we are today. He helped us end slavery, and without his help with that, we could probably still have problems with slavery. We still do, but less.
ReplyDeleteI think the qualities of a great president are being trustworthy, honest, respectful, helpful, and loyal to all the people. My favorite president is John F. Kennedy because he helped our country get through a lot of hard times, like war.
ReplyDeleteI think that the qualities of a good president include being kind, honest, and giving to your country. I think this because if you are the leader of your country you have to care about the people and be a role model to all. My favorite president is Abraham Lincoln. He is my favorite president because he fought for his country and for human rights. Also he was a very good role model to everyone.
ReplyDeleteI think the qualities of is a good president selflessness, honest, and knowing when your country needs help and giving them the help they need. My favorite president is Lincoln because of what he did to the slave and trade and freeing the slaves.
ReplyDeleteI think the qualities that make a good president are listening and respecting what each person thinks. Some more qualities that make a good president are honesty and responsibility. My favorite president is Abraham Lincoln because he helped lead our country out of slavery and if he didn't do that, where would America be today? Abraham Lincoln had all the qualities that every good president had: bravery, loyalty, and trust.
ReplyDeleteI think good qualities a good president needs are to fair, selfless, trustworthy, and honest. Abraham Lincon, he is my favorite president because he helped our country out of slavery. He is also fair.
ReplyDeleteQualities a good president needs to be are trustworthy, honest, kind, selfless, brave, and smart. My favorite president is Abraham Lincoln. He helped America out of slavery, and wasn't supporting only one side, but gave remained neutral. Without him, our country may still have slaves.
ReplyDeleteI think what makes a good president is the fact that they stand by their word and honor other people and their opinions. Why do I think this is important? It is because it shows that they have respect for one another and that they are seen as an equal being. My favorite president is Ronald Reagan. Why? My grandpa Norman Murdock was the campaign manager for Reagan.
ReplyDeleteI think the qualities that make a good president is you have to execute what plans they say they have. Also they need to be trustworthy. They need to be trustworthy because as a president you cant lie to your people. My favorite president is Abraham Lincoln because he got us out of slavery. He was also a great human being.
ReplyDeleteThe qualities are that you must be nice and trustworthy. They must stand by what they say they are going to do. They must put others before himself. This are traits I will look for when I can vote. My favorite president is George Washington because he lead the country in the beginning when no one else did.
ReplyDeleteI think what made him a good president was his love for the people. He said that people should put into the world and not take out, and that is exactly what he did.He served his people well and did many great things. Because of his love for his people he was able to achieve many things. My favorite president is President Lincoln. I like him because I feel he cared a lot for his people and also did a great job serving the country.
ReplyDeleteI think that JFK had outstanding qualities. As a president he must keep his faith, and presidential matters separate and he did so. Ronald Reagan is my favorite president because of his calm, soothing demeanor. He brought the United States back to a united country, after gas outrageous gas prices tore us apart.
ReplyDeleteThe qualities that make a good president are, the ability to make good choices, good speaking abilities, ability to stay organized, take control, work well under pressure, and to have a open minde. The qualities that make someone a leader are to, be responsible with power, and be in charge of millions of people at the same time. My favorite president is Franklin D. Roosevelt. FDR is my favorite because he defeated the Nazis and won World War II.
ReplyDeleteThere aren't many things i look for in a president but here it is honest and republican. J.F.K. and Abe Licion because there is a lot of stuff on them and people how like them and admire them
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