John Kennedy and Martin Luther King - Essay Example

John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. are among the people who have had great impact in shaping of the United States’ social, political and social outlooks. The two American icons achieved public prominence during the fifties and sixties, which has gone into history books as the as the most remarkable decades of the twentieth century. The decades herald far reaching changes in economical, social and political ideals of USA due to the active participation of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. in bringing reforms to the America society especially in efforts aimed at making the minority groups participate more in nation building. As a result of their public awareness campaigns, the populous began questioning traditional values leading to emergence of new movements. The changes in the USA were part of a larger global trend that influenced humanity as a whole. During this period, there was the Cold War and Vietnam War, construction of the Berlin Wall in addition to the gaining of independence by former colonies was constructed. Therefore, John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were a part of global revolutionists who were able to go with the changing nature of the world. John F. Kennedy John F. Kennedy, known as Jack by members of family and close friends was born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts to Joseph and Rose Kennedy a family of Irish Catholics (“John F. Kennedy”). Being from a wealthy family background, he grew up in a favorable environment where he was assured of the best educational facilities in addition to having a conducive economic and social environment given that he and his siblings enjoyed the luxuries of attending elite private schools, sailboats, summers homes as well as having servants to tend to their needs ("John Fitzgerald"). Although he suffered various illnesses and health complications in the course of his childhood, these setbacks did not curtail John F. Kennedy’s educational ambitions as he was able to join Harvard University in 1936 (Kenney 12). During his Harvard University days, Kennedy’s father was the U.S. Ambassador to Great Britain, from where Kennedy gathered resources for his final thesis. Kennedy returned to the USA to finish his senior Harvard University where he worked on his thesis that afterwards amended and published with the title Why England Slept in which examines how the British government reacted to Hitler’s rise to power before, during and after the world war two. After Harvard University education, Kennedy enlisted into the American Navy in 1941 which catapulted him to national prominence when his motor torpedo boat PT 109 was sunk by a Japanese destroyer. Kennedy’s heroic act when he saved one remember of his crew although he had also sustained injuries in his back made him achieve greater accolades from the US public. Describing Kennedy’s actions Dallek sees Kennedy as the best unifying instance of American egalitarianism (98). Many in the US saw Kennedy as embodying how the country’s social relations between the rich and poor should function being child from a wealthy family who made a choice to voluntarily risk his life in the name of nation. Although, his family was grooming his elder brother, for political office, Kennedy was convinced by his family and friends to take a political career after his brother Joe died in the Second World War (Dallek 117). After the war, Kennedy’s main career objective was to join journalism profession where his first assignment was at the United Nations Conference in San Francisco as well as covering Potsdam Conference. A key element that made Kennedy’s political career in congressional, senatorial and presidential positions a success was his family’s wealth, influential national status and prestige in addition to the tales of his heroic acts during the world war two. Barnes notes financial support was central to Kennedy’s success in all these campaigns with his father being in charge of all financial requirements (25) that included providing advertisements in radio, billboards, and direct mailing apart from shouldering the regular administrative costs (Silvestri 18) for the campaigns. John. F. Kennedy served three terms in the House of Representatives where his attendance records in Congress rather low but may be explained by his health complications at the time. Nevertheless, Barlett points out that his role in House of Representatives did not interest him since he did not have a chance to impact in the national levels which was his main political ambition (3). Even with his limited participation during this time, Congressman Kennedy voted mostly in favor of the underprivileged in the American society. Regardless of his privileged family background, Kennedy supported equal opportunity and fairness for all Americans where his congressional votes went to matters of civil liberties (Silvestri 242). Records of his time in congress show his support for social issues like health care, rent control, subsidized housing and school lunch program all of which were essential for one to get votes in his district given that as most of the citizens were from low income social class. Kennedy served in the Senate between 1953 and 1960 where he continued supporting issues that had to do with the poor in society like he did in his congressional days. In the senate, his main concerns were in economic challenges facing New England since he wanted to fulfill all the pledges he made during the campaigns. Kennedy advocated for minimum wage increase and industrial projects that aided residents of New England (Dallek 181). Major impact of Kennedy’s senatorial years was on the economic sector where he championed issues affecting Massachusetts residents. He was the convener of many meetings of New England senators that discussed their service to the people. During the St. Lawrence Seaway Project controversy, Kennedy supported the project which was bitterly opposed by New England businessmen who were afraid the seaway which was to open the area to ocean vessels to pass from the Atlantic Ocean to the lakes, would increase competition from Midwest. Among the Senators from Massachusetts, it is only Kennedy who voted for the realization of this project as he saw its importance in national trade in addition to increased job opportunities for the people. One of the shortcoming of Kennedy during his service in congress, senate and as the president in regard to the civil rights movement seems to be his lack of clear direction given that he sided with either sides when it mattered for his political career. As a politician, he was often balancing between what is good for his career and what was right to do in relation to the rights of the segregated minority. In his political career, he did not want to lose support from the Southerners because he needed them to win in the national elections therefore; he seemed to be willing to act in favor of the civil right activists only to such an extent that came to a possible confrontation with some senators or congressmen from the Southern states. He avoided such issues as segregation in schools and public accommodation which required elicited grater hostility from the southerners (O’Brien 593) Martin Luther King Jr. There has never been anyone else in history of American civil rights movement who can rival the achievements made by Martin Luther King Jr. towards changing the values, direction, and structure of American society. As a result of his religious background, his call for the end of discrimination was influenced mostly by his religious background. Being from the African American community, he experienced racial prejudice early on in his life. His father was also an influential figure in his life given that apart from being a church minister, he was also a member of the local branch of National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) that was trying to improve living conditions for the black community in the south. Martin become a minister following the footsteps of his father at the age of nineteen but also continued with his education at Morehouse College located in Pennsylvania where he graduated the best in his class and was offered a Ph. D scholarship that made him move to Boston University to continue with his education in theology. After finishing his theological studies, King was now ready to start his ministerial duties which took him to Drexel Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. King was now launched in the field of human right activism when a few months into his ministerial duties, an incident at a bus terminal provoked widespread condemnation of segregating laws in Montgomery (Nojeim 173). It was almost 100 years since the Emancipation Proclamation but the African America community in Southern states was still disenfranchised, segregated in addition to experiencing numerous forms of oppression that sometimes included violence. Jim Crow laws were in effect at both the local and state levels which banned African Americans from classrooms entertainment theaters, train cars, juries and legislative functions. U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1954 had effectively legalized segregation when it made ruling establishing separate but equal doctrine which that shaped state authorized discrimination (Harris and Rosalyn 46). It is this social background that stimulated King Jr. to start active and vocal condemnation of the segregating laws as civil rights activists. Since he was a religious leader, King Jr. favored an alternative method to raising grievances as opposed to the traditional methods that involved violence which lead to loss of lives and in addition to increasing racial tensions among the Wight majority and African American minority. Effectively King introduced nonviolent protest and civil disobedience as the main methods to bring change in the American society. He had studied the nonviolence methods of demonstrations while still a student especially based on the ideas of Mahatma Gandhi who had successfully used such methods to achieve independence in India. Additionally, King took advantage of his oratory skills and position in the church to convince many from all races to join his course. Among the first landmark victories of the Civil Rights Movement was the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which went on for almost one year and threatened to cripple the Montgomery commuter services. The boycott was sparked when Rosa Parks refused to follow the rule requiring her to surrender her seat to a white which led to her arrest and sentencing for breaking state law. Martin Luther King Jr. was propelled to the forefront of civil right activism after one year when the boycott ended with the courts ruling that the Montgomery bus law was unconstitutional which led to the setting free of Rosa Parks (Gaines 60) The success of Montgomery bus boycott encouraged the rise of civil movements in USA and in 1957, King together with other activists to establish the Southern Christian Leadership Conference with as the first president. As leader of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, King took part in a protest to fight segregation in Birmingham, Alabama that saw many people from all races, gender and even age as children were also a part of it. His activities in Birmingham saw the government under, president Kennedy order federal policemen to go to Birmingham in May 12, 1963 in order to restore order. King together with other civil rights activists organized March this time to Washington in august 28, 1963 to demand for integration of school system, a new civil rights law new program for job training and end of discrimination in the employment sector. The following year, congress passed the civil rights act of 1964 which effectively ended segregation in almost all public places such as entertainment theatres, hotels, and restaurants which was the most far-reaching civil rights law since the Emancipation Proclamation (Mjagkij 543). The achievement in the area of civil rights motivated King to take a step furthers into the economic lives all the American society by starting a Poor People’s Campaign this time the aim being guarantying all Americans quality education, descent housing and employment opportunities. By 1968 when he was assassinated, King had achieved a lot but one of the failures of his system was the inability to control all of his followers which led to some violent confrontations with the authorities. Some in the civil-rights movement also criticized him for what they saw as taking a soft stance towards the authority especially when he chose to yield to state troopers at a march in Selma, Ala. His efforts were also seen as being futile in some areas like in Chicago where it failed to bring about changes in the housing segregation policies (Pappas 1037). Works Cited Barnes, John A. The Lessons and Legacy of a President John F. Kennedy on Leadership. New York: Amacom, 2005. Print. Dallek, Robert. John F. Kennedy: An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917 - 1963. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 2003. Print. Gaines, Kevin. "The Civil Rights Movement in World Perspective." OAH Magazine of History 21.1 (2007): 57-64. “John Fitzgerald Kennedy.” PBS. 10 Apr. 2008. Web. 04/ Nov. 2013< http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/am ex/presidents/35_kennedy/> "John F. Kennedy." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Dec 04 2013, Harris, Robert L., and Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn, Eds. The Columbia guide to African American history since 1939. Columbia University Press, 2008. “Kennedy John.” The White House. 17 June 2008. . Nojeim, Michael J. Gandhi and king: The power of nonviolent resistance. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004. Mjagkij, Nina, ed. Organizing Black America: An Encyclopedia of African American Associations. Taylor & Francis, 2003. O’Brien, Michael. John F. Kennedy. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 2005. Pappas, Theodore. Britannica Concise Encyclopedia. Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2008. Silvestri, Vito N. Becoming JFK: A Profile in Communication. Wesport: Praeger Publishers, 2000. Read More