A merica ’ s
Y oungest P resident
Inspires
a Nation
america’s 35th president, John F. Kennedy,
was a war hero who promoted civil rights
and actively faced threats to our country.
Unfortunately, his presidency ended in tragedy.
Kennedy was born in Massachusetts in 1917.
As a child, he was frequently sick, a problem
that would continue throughout
his life. After graduating from
college, Kennedy entered the U.S.
Navy and served in World War II.
After his ship was hit and sunk by
a Japanese destroyer, Kennedy
was severely injured. Incredibly,
he found the strength and
determination to save the
survivors by getting them to
an island.
After the war, Kennedy married and
started his life as a politician. Kennedy held
several different political offices before he was
elected president in 1960. He was the youngest
U.S. president.
When Kennedy took office, America was
struggling through hard economic times. Many
businesses had failed. About 5.5 million people
were unemployed. Kennedy took immediate steps
to help Americans. He found ways to lower taxes,
increase the minimum wage, and create new
programs. These programs included providing
aid for education, medical care for elderly
people, and mass transportation
in cities.
Jackie and Kennedy
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
www.readinga-z.com
Connecting Passage
Kennedy was president when
the world came to the edge of
nuclear war in 1962. The Soviet Union
had placed missiles in Cuba. These
weapons were capable of hitting
targets in North America. Kennedy
immediately ordered a blockade of
Cuba and threatened military action.
Kennedy made a bold decision when
Credits: left: © AF archive/Alamy; right: © Corbis
1
he addressed the issue on national television,
talking openly about the threat to America and
stating his determination to keep the country safe.
Kennedy appealed to other countries through
the United Nations, a worldwide peacekeeping
organization. He argued that all countries had an
interest in avoiding nuclear war and stopping the
spread of nuclear weapons. Eventually, the Soviet
Union backed down and war was averted. After
the crisis, Kennedy had a direct telephone line
to the Soviet Union installed in the White House.
He hoped this would improve communication
between the two countries and possibly avoid
future crises.
Americans accomplish
DID YOU
KNOW?
something that would
President Kennedy
surpass what the Soviets
created the Peace
had done. He started by
Corps with the goal to
dramatically expanding
promote world peace and
friendship. Since 1961, over
the country’s space
210,000 Americans have
program. Kennedy set
worked as volunteers in
aside billions of dollars
139 countries.
for the space program.
He vowed that Americans would be the first
people on the moon by the end of the 1960s.
After several successful space missions, the first
U.S. astronauts walked on the moon in 1969.
President Kennedy
had a vision for America’s
future. When a Soviet
spaceman, known as a
cosmonaut, became the
first person to orbit the
Earth, Americans felt weak.
Kennedy wanted to restore
Americans’ confidence.
His goal was to have
Sadly, Kennedy was not alive to see this
historic event. He was
killed by an assassin
during a parade in 1963.
Americans mourned
the loss of its youngest
president. He had
inspired a nation with his
leadership and optimism
for the future.
Kennedys in Dallas motorcade, November 22, 1963
© Learning A–Z All rights reserved.
www.readinga-z.com
Connecting Passage
Credits: © Newseum/PR Newswire/AP Images
2