In 1944 Kennedy’s older brother, Joseph, was killed on a bombing mission over Belgium. Previously Joe Kennedy had planned to make his career in politics. Now John Kennedy, working as a reporter for the Hearst International News Service, decided to enter politics himself. In 1946 Kennedy set out to win the Democratic nomination in the 11th Congressional District of Massachusetts. He entered the race early, Kennedy publicized his war record, concentrated on meeting the voters, and developing a political organization.

Though he ran against nine other cand

Two weeks later the Republicans nominated Vice President Richard Nixon for president and Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., who was ambassador to the United Nations and whom Kennedy had defeated for the Senate in 1952, for vice president. In the campaign that followed, Kennedy made stops in 46 states and 273 cities and towns, while Nixon visited every state and 170 urban areas. Kennedy’s manner, especially in the first debate, seemed to eliminate the charge that he was too young and too inexperienced to serve as president, and many believed these debates gave Kennedy the victory. Another important element of the campaign was the support Kennedy received from blacks in important northern states, especially Illinois and Pennsylvania.

Kennedy easily won re-election to Congress in 1948 and 1950. The entire Kennedy family took part in the campaign, and Kennedy defeated Lodge by 70,000 votes despite the fact that Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Republican presidential candidate, carried the state by 208,000 votes. As a candidate for the Senate, Kennedy had promised the voters that he would do more for Massachusetts than Lodge had done.

At the Democratic convention, Kennedy nominated former Illinois Governor Adlai Stevenson for the presidency. Kennedy attempted to win the nomination but on the third ballot the convention chose Senator Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. Kennedy then moved that the vote be made unanimous.

Kennedy was less successful in South Vietnam where U.S. military advisers had been training the South Vietnamese army since 1954. In 1961 Kennedy demonstrated America’s commitment to South Vietnam by increasing the number of military advisers from 700 to 15,000 and ordering them into combat.

Some topics in this essay:
United Nations, Bay Pigs, James Meredith, Khrushchev Kennedy, Senate Sorensen, Nations Kennedy, Illinois Pennsylvania, Lodge Jr, Peace Corps, Southern Democrats, world war, civil rights, president kennedy, latin america, kennedy won, south vietnam, cabot lodge jr, united nations, kennedy defeated, west berlin, campaign kennedy, henry cabot lodge, world war ii,