Profiles In Courage is a book that focuses on the adversity that very few United States Senators have been willing to deal with in order to cultivate their ideas of better democracy. It focuses primarily on the independent thoughts and views that those few politicians have been willing to stand up for, with other odds against them. The first Senator that is focused on is John Quincy Adams of Massachusetts, son of John Adams. He was a Puritan and a Federalist, with odd loyalty to his father. One of the odd things about the younger Adams was his constant sense. No matter what he accomplished, and he did accomplish a lot (such as being an emissary to England, a president of the United States, minister to Russia, a Senator, and several other things), he was never satisfied. He did things on his own accord, knowing that following his own principles would lead to unpopularity, which it most certainly did. When a party was thrown by the Jeffersonians to celebrate the Louisiana purchase, he was there, much to the distaste of the fellow members of his party. When three patriots died and the Federalists wanted to wear crepe for one month in their honor, he opposed it. One of Quincy's main standards that he set for himself was that he would not pretend or dissemble in order to win popularity, or voter support. Adams only had one term on the Senate started with his obvious independent thinking and non-automatic reciprocity when he suggested that the opposing party be given an equal spot on the Governor's council. He also differed from his multitude on another large issue. During his years on the Senate, Britain seized U.S. vessels. Adams condemned Britain for this, though his party pitied Britain for its difficulties in its war ag... ... middle of paper ... ...age and adversity. In this, Kennedy did not write dull stories about historical events, but rather how people stepped up to events that effected the history of the nation. A member of the Senate himself at the time that he wrote this book, he was able to take a view on the issues that not many would have been able to, since he knew the pressures of being put into such a high, political position. Kennedy's views on politics are very clearly shown through this book. They are not extremely biased, but the book does clearly manifest Kennedy's views on politics, not in the conventional way, but more in its relation to how it changes the personalities of people. Kennedy was assassinated in Texas on November 22nd, 1963. Though his term as a president was shorter than most, he did contribute to the nation through the Civil Rights Movement and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
John Adams showed his Federalist values throughout his presidency but also put the good of his people above his own personal gain and desire for a second term in order to preserve stability in the nation. Adams was a Federalist which meant he was upper class and wanted a strong central government and this showed when he led his country. He had to keep the nation stable amidst the French’s dislike for him that lead to the X, Y, Z Affair. The X, Y, Z Affair with France led to a three year long Quazi War
People died fighting for this idea of a free country with amazing rights, and now John Adams was threatening what they all fought for. Many people were very mad and took this hatred mentality towards Adams, because of the Alien and Sedition Acts, to the polls. “John Adams was vilified by the Republicans for not vetoing the Alien and Sedition Acts.” He had the chance to stop what Congress was putting forth, yet he did nothing. Whether his intentions were for the best and he had the best in mind, it does not matter. The American public in general took it as a very hostile move and this definitely did not help his second bid for the presidency. Some people believed action needed to be taken in response to the Alien and Sedition Acts. Jefferson and Madison wrote the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions. These were two documents that basically stated that the states of Kentucky and Virginia saw the Alien and Sedition Acts that were approved by John Adams as unconstitutional. This was not good for Adams. “It really targeted the centralizing power of the Federalists”. When the federalists have more power that means that Adams will have more power.
Mr. Smith was appointed to be a Senator on a whim. He was the leader of the Boy Rangers with no political experience. He was principled with a clear view on right and wrong. Mr. Smith took his ideals as far as risking his career when he did not compromise in order to maintain his beliefs. In addition, special interest groups did not impact Mr. Smith's decisions. He was untouched by the corruption that he learned existed in the legislature. Yet upon discovering it, he did not change himself. Mr. Smith did not place any emphasis on re-election and did not care if people thought negatively about him as long as he remained with his values.
In conclusion, this speech was structured beautifully. Its use of figurative and expressive language makes it an unforgettable speech. Kennedy does a great job of using pathos, ethos, and logos to reiterate his commitment to the American public as well as discuss expected changes. Given the state of the world at the time of his inauguration, the decision to rely so heavily on pathos and ethos was a wise one which got the job done. His use of the rhetoric triangle effectively conveys Kennedy’s plan for America to not only her citizens, but to the world.
Even though Kennedy endured many hardships during his childhood, he grew up into a successful and ambitious man. He was born in Brookline, Massachusetts on May 29, 1917 to Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. Although, to the public he was known as “Jack Kennedy”. John F. Kennedy was also prone to being ill. He suffered from many illnesses such as chickenpox, measles, and whooping cough. However, this was not all that he had to endure. Before the age of three, Kennedy was diagnosed with scarlet fever, a life-threatening disease. Fortunately, he fully recovered from it and continued the routines of daily living (“John F. Kennedy”). Numerous individuals look back on someone’s life and evaluate of what importance their life was. Kennedy demonstrates that even though one may n...
The assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, marked a tragic historical moment in American history. The president was fatally shot by a sniper while traveling with his wife, Texas Governor John Connally, and Connally’s wife in a presidential motorcade at 12.30 pm on Friday, November 22, 1963. JFK was pronounced dead shortly after rushing to Parkland Hospital, where a tracheostomy and other efforts failed to keep him alive. Although Lee Harvey Oswald, a former United States Marine, was convicted of the crime, the purpose behind the assassination remained inclusive as Oswald’s case never came to trial as he was shot to death two days later by Jack Ruby, a local nightclub operator in Texas. The assassination raised many questions and theories concerning the murder.
John Adams, born in Braintree, Massachusetts on October 30, 1735, was the second president of the United States and served as the first vice president of the United States. Adams began his education in a common school in Braintree. He secured a scholarship to Harvard and graduated at the age of 20. He was one of the Founding Fathers of America, and was a political leader, diplomat, and leading promoter of America independence from Britain. He also promoted republicanism and a strong central government. He was a lifelong adversary of slavery; he never owned a slave. John Adams was more remarkable as a political philosopher than as a politician. “People and nations are forged in the fires of adversity,” he said, thinking of his own as well as the American experience (The White House).
John Quincy Adams supported the “American System” created by Henry Clay, which looked to improve economic development. Andrew Jackson bombarded the public with attacks on Adams but his actions simply backfired Adam’s activism. The outcomes of the presidential election, however, resulted with a great victory in the electoral college for Jackson. His personality portraying as a man of the people made voters to choose him over Adams.
Now that John F. Kennedy started political leadership after the war, Kennedy was elected for House of Representatives. With Kennedy’s younger brother as his campaign manager they worked together fo...
The year of 1963 would be the year that would forever be remembered as the time when President John Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. On a warm Friday afternoon in downtown Dallas, perched on the top floor of the Texas School Book Depositary, Lee Harvey Oswald set aim on one of the more popular presidents of all time. This event impacted the history of the United States, and is one of the most talked about killings of all time.
Although born into a politically prominent family on May 29, John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s path to presidential popularity had begun way before he was born. In 1849, JFK’s great grandfather emigrated from Ireland to Boston and worked for minimum wage for all of his life that he resided in America (Historic World Leaders). Starting with JFK’s grandfather, Patrick Joseph (P.J.) Kennedy, the life of a Kennedy, from birth to death, revolved around ideas of the want for power and stature. His grandfather, born into a poor family, worked his way up from poverty “to successes in the saloon and liquor-import businesses, branched out into banking, and became a backroom political operator” (Historic World Leaders) becoming a man of prestige just as his family had hoped. Blossoming from a business partnership, PJ Kennedy’s son, Joseph married Rose Fitzgerald in 1914. Joseph Kennedy was quite ...
Biography in Context, in the article “John Fitzgerald Kennedy” claims that JFK’s legacy is one of the largest and most memorable legacies in the history of Presidents of the United States. In their article, they use quotes from historians and other people who observed JFK and his family in order to emphasize the impact of JFK’s presidency and the Kennedy family. For example, they quote historian Doris Kearns Goodwin who claims that “no American family has had a more vivid and powerful impact on the life of their times” (Biography in Context 94). This evidence suggests that JFK had an extremely large impact on the United States.
Adams started out as the Vice President to George Washington, and it was contested by many who should take his position instead as Adams held monarchical principles that many in the opposition party viewed as non-representative of the principles of the American people, and dangerous to the republicanism ideals that the country was founded on, specifically how the United States separated from the monarchy of Great Britain to turn around and have leaders that promote such ideas. During Adam’s election, the Federalists viewed him as a liability for their cause, and the Hamiltonian Federalists, the majority at the time, decided to promote another candidate, Thomas Pinckney. Adams became everyone’s second choice in the election because, while he might be a danger to the federal interests, he was seen as the middle ground candidate between Jefferson and Pinckney. Adams held a pessimistic view of the future of the republican government; that corruption would end the republic early on in the United State’s life. He was elected to president in 1796, and had a notable presidency, with Jefferson as Vice President, of Hamiltonian Federalists versus Adams Federalists versus Jeffersonian Republicans fighting over power. It was this election that marked the beginning of the end of the Federalist proto-party, as
... secretary of state. The southern states, who were Jacksonian supporters, were subsequently outraged and furious. They claimed it was unfair and classified it as “corrupt”. This drove a greater wedge between the southern states and the northern states, who had favored Adams. This political event epitomized sectionalism and discredits the notion that this time was an “Era of Good Feelings”.
Byrd, Robert C. The Senate, 1789-1989: Addresses on the History of the US Senate, Vol. 1. (New York: Bernan Associates, 1989).