Why Do We Choose To Go To The Moon

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“We choose to go to the Moon”

By: Thomas Cross

Locked in a power struggle with the Soviet Union in 1962, the United States vowed to come out as the superior country. The world watched as these two super powers steadily increased their hostilities toward one another. We commonly refer to this as the Cold War. With the war at its height, a sub conflict known as the, “Space Race,” would bloom to see which country would have the most advancements with space technology. The Soviet Union was able to launch their first satellite, Sputnik, and place the first human, Yuri Gagari, in space in 1961. This was a clear indication that the United States was losing the technological race for space superiority and needed to do something drastic to eclipse what the Soviets have done. This would lead up to a landmark speech on September 12th, 1962, by President John Franklin Kennedy where we, “choose to go to the moon.” …show more content…

With the audience established, President Kennedy hoped that his goals would be seen in a boarder view. The first goal was to inspire hope and the trust in the citizens of the United States. Second, he needed to convince the American people that we needed to land on the surface of the moon to remain a super power and win the technological battle with the Soviet Union. Third, President Kennedy needed to convince the citizens of the United States that in the end, it would be worth the enormous cost to send humans to the moon. Finally, he needed to show that if the United States couldn’t commit to the moon, the world would be in danger of the Soviet Union occupying the vastness of outer

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