The Legacy of Joe and Rose Kennedy - Essay Example

The Legacy of Joe and Rose Kennedy The Kennedys are perhaps the most famous American family in politics. Their political participation has shaped America since the early part of the 20th century, and as such, they have earned a mystique about them. They have been dubbed the American Royal family, for many Americans treat the Kennedys in a way that compares to the way the British treat their Queen. Americans have, for many generations, been fascinated by the Kennedy accumulation of political power and wealth, and as such, Americans have taken a vested interest in the personal, public, and political lives of each and every member of the Kennedy family. No other political family in history has ever had this much public interest form around them, mainly because no other political family has ever been quite as interesting. The mystique all began with a wedding ceremony, when Joseph Kennedy married Rose Elizabeth Fitzpatrick on October 7, 1914, and through triumph and tragedy they shaped one of this countries most politically prominent families of the 20th century. When Rose Fitzgerald married Joseph Kennedy he took his new bride away from her father's orbit, to a Protestant suburb, unheard of for the staunchly Catholic Rose Fitzgerald (Gibson 14). However, Rose's Catholicism would not diminish, and would later play a very large part in the family's growth and development. All of her children would be raised Catholic, and they would also marry Catholic. Her son John would also become the first Catholic President. Thus, her influence on the children can be viewed widely in light of the religion they would all adopt and maintain. Rose stayed in Brookline with her children, while Joseph went on to New York in order to make his fortune. In Brookline, where she was raising a family that continued to grow, Rose barely knew what her husband did for a living. He compartmentalized his life, and kept his wife and growing family away from the predatory world in which he was building his fortune. His firstborn son had been named for him, Joseph Patrick Kennedy, Jr., his second son John, was a frail and sick child and Rosemary who was soon diagnosed as retarded, followed him. Then followed Kathleen and Eunice - five children in six years. Since Rose spend most of her time with her children, she was initially the most influential parent and the children all adopted her moral, Catholic ways. Joseph Kennedy, on the other hand, would earn his influence over his children by amassing the wealth required to build the basis of a family fortune. Joseph Kennedy and the unregulated stock market of the 1920's were made for each other. With nerve and intelligence he ruthlessly manipulated the market and used collaborators and compliant journalists to boost the stock artificially. At its peak, Kennedy sold the stock and reaped the benefits. He told friends that he needed to make this easy money fast - "before they pass a law against it" (Whalen 49). Kennedy moved to Hollywood in 1926, leaving Rose to come with the strains of the household and raising their growing family. Of Hollywood Kennedy told friends, "This place is a gold mine" (Whalen 121). He made another fortune turning out low-budget movies with cast-off stars and plenty of garish publicity. Off-screen Kennedy soon became interested in the most seductive Hollywood actress of them all, Gloria Swanson. In turn, Swanson wanted Kennedy to manage her affairs. Within a short time they became lovers (Whalen 121). This is the start to an interesting trend in Kennedy history, as not all the Kennedy men would remain loyal to their wives, and two of the brothers, Robert and John, would eventually fall in love with the most beautiful actress in Hollywood history-Marilyn Monroe. Whether or not the children knew about the affair, and whether or not it had any influence on their later actions, is difficulty to say. However, it does certainly establish the fact that Kennedy men of both generations would have a soft spot in their hearts and minds for beautiful actresses. Joseph saw in rose more than just her glamorous beauty; she was the complete antithesis to his wife and this is perhaps where Joseph found his attraction. What is true of Joseph is that he probably followed the staple of the times and more than likely did not marry for love or attraction. This fact would also come into play for John Kennedy, who although he was married to a beautiful and wealthy woman, married mostly for political reasons, and not love, and also had affairs, like his father. Swanson was sexually liberated and had had several husbands was divorced, full of humor, wore the best clothes and was the most famous actress in the 1920's. She would have been some conquest for Joe Kennedy, for whom, as an Irish Catholic, divorce was impossible. So was a sexually liberated wife. Meanwhile, Rose continued to raise and provide for her children. The Kennedy family was now secluded on a summer estate in the seaside town of Hyannis Port. They were still not socially accepted, and here was a world where they could make their own rules and where, over the years, nurses, tutors and coaches taught the children to play all kinds of sports, the favorite being touch football. By 1928 there were eight children. (Goodwin 100).The children rarely saw their mother and father together because when Joe was in Hyannis Port, Rose was in Europe and even when they were both home, the Kennedys led separate lives. Rose and Joseph, thus had the makings of the early Kennedy political marriage, where the husband was off doing important business and making money, while the wife primarily watched the children. Regardless of their distance, Rose's staunch belief in Catholicism and no divorce held the marriage together, and Rose, who continued to be the most active parent with the children, continued to hold sway with the children. In 1929, while others were still buying stocks Kennedy noticed that something was wrong with the market and he began to sell. "Only a fool holds out for the top dollar," (Whalen 96).When the stock market crashed in October and thousands of investors lost everything, Kennedy made millions. The crash also made him understand that there was going to be a change in America. Power was shifting from Wall Street to Washington, and people who ran the government would be the biggest people in the country. The crash of the stock market inspired Kennedy to become more interested in politics and Washington, and this focus would eventually lead him to push one of his sons to become President. Kennedy raised $200,000 for FDR's campaign in 1932 and did everything he could to get him elected. Then he began angling for a Cabinet post. FDR would use Kennedy, but FDR would never trust him. Roosevelt knew the world of politics and he knew how to control people. Joe Kennedy wasn't skilled that way and FDR was able to control Joe Kennedy more than anyone else was able to (Whalen 191). For nearly two years, Kennedy waited for the Cabinet post he felt he deserved. With the birth of Teddy in 1932, he was now the father of nine children. Finally, Roosevelt gave him what seemed the most unlikely job - as Chairman of the brand-new Securities and Exchange Commission. "The appointment is appalling Kennedy is the worst of economic parasites, a Wall Street operator" (Qtd in Whalen 192). Kennedy thus got a taste of Washington, and this taste would later inspire him to push his sons in this direction. Interestingly enough, although many had little faith in his abilities, he did very well at his post. Kennedy brought about solid, intelligent reform. When he stepped down after 14 months The Washington Post admitted, "Kennedy has done one of the best jobs of anyone connected with the New Deal." Privately, he desired to be the first Catholic president, which Roosevelt sensed. No Cabinet post was forthcoming in the new Roosevelt administration. Kennedy was instead given a job as Maritime Commissioner, which he made the most of by arranging national publicity for himself. After making his vast fortune, Joseph Kennedy was able to provide the very best for his children. This would eventually be a good think for Joseph as well because he had high expectations for his children. Joe Kennedy gave his sons every advantage to compete in the world, and sent them to exclusive prep schools and then to Harvard to study law and government. The trust funds he set up for them would allow them to follow their father into public life. The eldest son, Joe Jr., seemed the most likely to succeed. Joseph Kennedy pushed his children to make sure they did the best they could, and his mystique as the intelligent, patriarchal father figure more than likely spurred all of them into action. However, this is not to say that all the children did amazingly well. Joseph Kennedy was worried about his second son. Jack might have been witty and well read, but as far as his father was concerned his acting the clown at boarding skill did not foreshadow a promising future. Jack Kennedy's problem was that he couldn't shine. His brother was the one who was taking all the glory, and so he became very much, at school, the archetypal rebel, which led eventually to his expulsion from Choate, although he was reinstated later. Beneath the pretense of rebellion he wished to succeed in life. But how would he do that, when he had cast himself as the clown of the family, the one who never gets anything done (Dallek 89) However, Jack Kennedy had another problem. The clowning around was an issue, but he also seemed to be chronically ill. He caught every childhood disease and almost died from scarlet fever. He was born with one leg slightly shorter than the other, which contributed to the bad back that was to plague him his entire life. He continually struggled to keep up with his older brother, who, he knew, was his parents' favorite. While Jack continued to struggle, his father continued to thrive. Joseph Kennedy's endless self-promotion began to pay off in 1938 when a national poll placed him fifth among likely candidates to succeed Roosevelt. He lobbied FDR to appoint him ambassador to Great Britain. The President was aware of the fact that his loyalty to him paled in comparison to his own ambition and sending him to London would pay off his political debts, please Irish-American voters and get Kennedy out of the way. As the first Irish Catholic appointed to the Court of St. James, Kennedy savored his prize. But a friend told him "The job of ambassador to London needs skills brought by years of training and that, Joe, you simply don't possess. If you don't realize that son enough, you are going to be hurt as you were never hurt in your life. (Whalen, p. 201). By the end of the summer, Adolf Hitler had overtaken Austria and part of Czechoslovakia. Awed by the strength of the Nazi military machine, Kennedy wanted Britain and the United States to stay out of the war. He believed democracies had to co-exist with the Nazis and recommended conciliation. It would destroy his political career. He downplayed reports from his staff of what they saw was happening in Germany. On September 1st, 1939, the policy to appeasement that Kennedy had supported collapsed when Hitler invaded Poland and World War II began. Kennedy phoned Roosevelt himself with the news, filled with emotion and foreboding, though even in his worse fears, Kennedy could never have imagined the toll the war would take on his children and his dreams. The one mistake Kennedy made would destroy him as a Presidential candidate, and continue to haunt his sons when they ran for governmental posts. Ridicule abounded Kennedy after his mistake. To make sure his family was out of harm's way, Kennedy sent them back home and remained in London alone. He was increasingly cut off, even from Roosevelt, who was now afraid that America would have to enter the war. Kennedy was now bypassed by FDR in favor of direct communication with a new power in the British government - Winston Churchill. Churchill thought that Kennedy might be pro-Hitler. (Ryan 177). On both sides of the Atlantic Kennedy was ridiculed as a coward and a defeatist. In February 1941, Kennedy submitted his formal resignation to President Roosevelt, and told his daughter Kathleen he thought his life was over. With his own political aspirations destroyed, Joe Kennedy now pinned his hopes on his oldest son, whom, he was convinced would become the first Catholic president. He intended to do all he could to make that happen. Joe thus began to vicariously live through his expectations for Joe, and Joseph began to plan ways in which to promote his son and prepare him for a life in politics, and eventual presidency. Around this same time, Jack finally began to show promise. Jack Kennedy, just graduated from Harvard, had begun to show an interest in foreign policy and his father saw an opportunity in Jack's undergraduate thesis, "Why England Slept" Joe Kennedy arranged for a friend to do extensive editing and promoted it hard. Regardless, Joseph's dreams and hopes would be put off for a time, and one of his dreams, that of Joe becoming president, would be destroyed. On December 7th, 1941 the world Joseph Kennedy has built to shelter his children was blown apart when war came to America. Joe and Jack enlisted in the Navy. Joe became a flyer. Jack's poor health forced him to take a desk job in Washington. By April 1943, after lobbying hard for active duty, Jack Kennedy was in the Pacific, commanding a patrol boat. His vessel, PT 109 was rammed by a Japanese destroyer and two crewmen were killed. Kennedy towed a third man to safety and survived 16 hours in the ocean, which further injured his back (Dallek 150). For the remainder of the war, he struggled to recover from his injuries and malaria. Determined to equal his younger brother's feats, Joe volunteered for a secret mission, even though his tour was up. "I'm not allowed to say what it is," he wrote his parents, "but it isn't dangerous, so don't worry" (Dallek 151). Kennedy was to pilot a bomber crammed with explosives toward a German rocket station the coast of France, aim the plane at the target and bail out. His plane exploded in mid-air. On a warm Sunday afternoon in Hyannis Port, Joseph Kennedy leaned this his much-loved oldest son was dead. Thus, Joseph's hopes for a presidential son, at the time, seemed dashed. After the war, Jack Kennedy was not sure what he wanted to do. He thought about journalism, but his father, filled with grief, urged a more ambitious course. Joe, Jr. had wanted to run for office in 1946. Now, Jack would take Joe's place and run for his grandfather's old seat in Congress. Joe Kennedy understood that whatever Jack's qualities - which he was beginning to respect more and more - had to be marketed. Maybe he thought they had to be marketed the way any stock was marketed. He wanted people to understand that his son was a war hero, even more of war hero than he actually was, (Goodwin 211). Joe Kennedy could get almost anything done that he wanted to get done and could reach almost anybody he wanted to reach. At the age of only 29, Jack Kennedy won an overwhelming victory, but as a congressman, he wasn't serious, and got bored easily. Kennedy first impressed Senator George Smathers, U.S. Congress 1946-68 as emaciated and weak looking. He wasn't a good congressman and his colleagues resented him. Nine months after entering Congress, he collapsed while visiting his sister, Kathleen. A doctor as the London Clinic said he didn't have a year to live. He was diagnosed with Addison's disease, an illness of the adrenal glands causing circulatory failure, even death. When his condition temporarily stabilized, he seemed more determined than ever to enjoy life before time ran out. In April 1948, at the Greenbriar Restort, the Kennedys gathered for a vacation. Kathleen came over from England and told her family that she was in love. He was Protestant and married. Her mother's influence was thus a central focus for her own personal rebellions, and she refused to conform to the staunch Catholic life Rose had attempted to instill in her. Instead of accepting Rose's ideas, Kathleen had essentially rebelled. Perhaps the lack of a strong father figure in those early years had created her rebellious streak, as in later years she did not view her mother as an authority figure. Rose threatened to disinherit Kathleen. However, this possible censure did not last long, and Joe overruled Rose, thus again perhaps throwing a knife in Rose's plans and making her again appear as if she was not the authority figure. Joe may not have realized that he was simply reaffirming Kathleen's rebellion against Rose. Regardless, Joe loved his daughter, and was hoping for his happiness. As such, Joe agreed to join his daughter in Europe and meet her lover, Lord Fitzwilliam. A month later Kathleen and Fitzwilliam left England for a weekend in the South of France. (Gibson, p. 211). They hit turbulence over the Alps and the plane crashed. Jack was home in Washington, listening to a record he and his sister both loved. He kept listening to the music and waiting for the International New Service to confirm the reports. When news came that the fatal accident happened his eyes welled up with tears. They say that Kennedys never cry, but he cried that morning for his sister. (Dallek 97). Of the nine Kennedy children, two were dead and one, Rosemary, had vanished into permanent medical care. Rosemary suffered from a string of mental illnesses and was never a permanently healthy or stable individual. She learned to read slower than the other children, and she demonstrated a low IQ. On one occasion, when introduced to the Queen and King of Britain, she tripped and fell over a stool. Rosemary struggled with grades, and her enduring mental problems and her mother's constant Catholic supervision eventually resulted in another rebel female. However, unlike Kathleen, who preferred to run around with men and rebel against her mother through immorality, Rosemary became violent and angry as she aged. Once she was a teenager, her violent mood swings became the source of much speculation. Thus, Rose began to lose her influence over her rebellious child, who seemed to want nothing to do with morality or Catholicism, and even started sneaking out of the convent where she was staying at. Eventually, when Rose was 23, the Kennedys were talked into giving her a lobotomy, which they agreed to. While the lobotomy did stop the violent moods, it turned Rosemary into a babbling, permanently retarded individual who seemed only interested in staring at walls. Rose Kennedy was devastated after her daughter became this way; she considered Rosemary's disability an extreme tragedy, and perhaps again felt her loss of influence over yet another daughter (Rosemary Kennedy). The surviving children were learning to draw strength from one another. Almost immediately, they would focus all their attention on Jack's career. Jack Kennedy began to move into the Democratic mainstream, preparing for a new political career. He decided to run for the Senate against Henry Cabot Lodge. Senator Smathers told he could not win, but Kennedy insisted that he would win. "He's got a pretty good record and you know you have not been an outstanding congressman - nor was I - "but you know I don't think you can do it," And he says, 'Oh no I can do it all right, but I'm going to run" (Dallak 98). Now Jack Kennedy began to master a new medium, television. He was a natural. But behind the scenes, Joe continued to control everything, putting his great fortune to work for his son all across the state, buying up television time and loaning one generally Republican Boson publisher a half million dollars. The paper endorsed Jack. Thus, here we begin to see the first signs of Joe Kennedy using his extreme wealth and power to both support and assist his children in their ambitions, but more likely, his own ambitions for them. Joe was always willing to spend money on support for his children in order to further their political careers. For instance, after Jack was elected president, Joe bragged "I got Jack into politics. I told him that Joe Jr was deceased and that it was therefore his responsibility to run for Congress" (How Joe Kennedy Made His Son President). Robert, the third Kennedy son, was brought in as campaign manager. He was 26 and fresh out of law school. Determinedly single-minded, his proud father told friends that Bobby was "hard as nails" (Whalen 422). Robert also showed a firm interest in politics, and as such, Joe was happy to support Robert's political endeavors as well. Although Robert was always small in stature, he would become a fierce political influence during the 1960s, making his father proud. Again, Joe's influence can be seen here, as he again was willing to support and forward the career or yet another son and endorse another son's desire for politics. The Kennedys were building their own political machine separate from the state party and very much a family enterprise. The Kennedy women hosted lavish tea parties across the state, pulling in thousands of voters. Rose began to show her support for her children by sponsoring many of these get-togethers and encouraging the women in the family to do likewise. Thus, in this aspect, her and her husband were finally partners, as she stood by his side and also encouraged her children to pursue political careers. Jack Kennedy's opponent, Henry Cabot Lodge, heir to a distinguished Republican family was caught off-guard by the Kennedy attack, but Lodge had a potential savior, then at the height of his powers - Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy was Irish and Catholic and had a big following in Boston. It was a pretty close election and probably if McCarthy had gone to Boston and campaigned for Cabot Lodge, Kennedy would have lost. As it was, he won by only 70,000 votes. (Ryan 58). Rose's devout Catholic influence was felt again when John married Jacqueline Bouvier. The two were married Catholic, and Jackie upheld Rose's Catholic beliefs and participated in Catholic Church and ceremonies. This Catholic influence would also pass to Jackie and John's children. These actions eventually won Rose over. Joe Kennedy was delighted with his classy, accomplished new daughter-in-law. Having grown up in posh Southampton, she was fluent in French and Italian. At only 24 she was the Inquiring photographer for a Washington newspaper when she met John Kennedy. She soon discovered what the family had always concealed; her new husband was often desperately ill, with a damaged back and Addison's disease. (Goodwin 289). The Kennedys may have feared that if Jack's illness were known, that his political career would be shortened, that if people knew he needed medicine to live it would make him seem vulnerable and frail. "He was someone who appeared healthy, unless you look carefully and see the color of his face and how skinny he was" (Goodwin144). During Thanksgiving of 1956, after a long talk with his father, Jack decided to run for the presidency. Aware that his own reputation could ruin his son's chances, Joe would remain behind the scenes doing everything he could to help Jack make it to the top. (Whalen 311). Rumors that a campaign aide, Ted Sorenson had written his book Profiles in Courage broke on television and Kennedy's campaign was threatened. Joe Kennedy threatened to sue and the network was forced to back down. ABC issued a statement that John Kennedy had, indeed, written the book. Officially, Jack Kennedy announced his candidacy on January 2, 1960. No one so young had ever been elected and many Protestants feared a Catholic president's first allegiance would be to the Pope. To get the nomination he would have to win every primary he entered. His brother, Robert, would manage his campaign. Robert Kennedy was smaller and shyer than his brothers and he felt he had the most to prove. A school friend remembered him as being religious and the dirtiest fighter (Ryan 181). He had been Assistant Counsel to Joe McCarthy's Investigation Subcommittee and Chief Counsel of the Senate Rackets Committee, showing a harsh, steady zeal that made him many enemies. Now he would bring that enthusiasm to making his brother President. Totally committed to his brother, Bobby spared no one, not even the candidate. Robert made his family proud with his loyalty to his brother, who was the star, and Robert never attempted to compete with his brother. Instead, he showed his support, and this loyalty won the family over into becoming very fond of him. As such, when Robert would eventually desire to take the reigns, Joe would support Robert's desires and political aspirations. Robert thus again appears to, like John, have been influenced by his father in his choice for a career in politics, and his desire to help his brother and stay loyal to the family, and the family's goals. FBI wiretaps would later show that underworld figures, said to have old ties to Joe Kennedy, were distributing funds on behalf of the Kennedy campaign. Kennedy won West Virginia and all of the primaries. Although he was confident of a first ballot victory going into the convention, some of his rivals thought he could be stopped. The Senate Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson posed the biggest challenge. Johnson believed that when the Kennedy bandwagon failed the convention would turn to him (Dallek 412). Robert Kennedy counted and recounted every delegate. Big-city bosses, including Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago, were reminded of Jack's appeal and past favors from their father. Joe's influence then became a big reason for Jack's eventual success in the campaign; his father's ability to call in favors made Jack a more powerful candidate, and Robert also benefited from this support, riding on his brother's coattails. Thus, once again, we can see how Joe's political influence and own personal desires inspired him to influence his children to follow and fulfill his own political dreams and ambitions. As the Democratic nominee walked to the podium, his father was nowhere in sight. Joe Kennedy was in Los Angeles because he felt that at age 72, the excitement would be too much for him. Since the campaign began he and Jack had not appeared in public together. Jackie's enigmatic glamour served him better than his father's shady past. After he'd taken the oath of office and given his now famous inaugural speech, Kennedy passed by the reviewing stand, where his parents ere standing where his parents were standing and at that moment his father took off his top hat and tipped it in a gesture of deference to his son, the President of the United States. As his father tipped his hat to him, Jack took off his hat and tipped it to his father. Perhaps this symbolism again reflects on Joe's influence over Jack, and how much Joe actually helped Jack to gain the Presidential seat. Just before Christmas 1961 Joseph Kennedy suffered a massive stroke at the age of 73. He lay near death, his right side paralyzed, his active life over. In the beginning, his children really thought he would get well. It wasn't until later that they realized that very little was going to be done (Whalen 356). However, Joe's stroke would not end his influence over the family. Having inspired two sons into politics, and eventually a third, Ted, in the 1962 Senate race, his political legacy, ambitions, hopes, and dreams would live on through his son. In the same aspect, Rose's Catholic ambitions would also live on through her sons, who would proclaim themselves as Catholics when they ran their political races. More tragedy was to come for the Kennedys. In the fall of 1963, Kennedy was looking forward to the campaign of 1964. He was beginning to travel in parts of the country where he knew he needed to shore up his popularity, which was sagging because of the civil rights legislation. He was implored to come to Texas, where two factions of the Democratic Party were at each other's throats. After lunch, on Friday, November 22, 1963, Joseph Kennedy was resting quietly in his bedroom when news of John Kennedy's assassination broke. Teddy Kennedy was presiding over the Senate and Robert Kennedy was at home when J. Edgar Hoover called. (Dallek 521) After the death of his brother, Robert Kennedy became a man who was connected to the world's pain. He was changing very much and he saw what real poverty was when he went down in the Mississippi delta and it had a huge emotional impact on him. Robert Kennedy had already left behind his father's views. Now, he had moved beyond his dead brother, too. Robert Kennedy thus decided to run for President. It was not a decision Joe was thrilled with, as he feared, after Jack's death, Robert would also pay the ultimate price. Regardless, Robert Kennedy campaigned throughout the state of California and drew huge crowds, but, by election day, it was still too close to call. Everything finally came down to the black and Latino neighborhoods, where an unusually high turnout of voters went Kennedy, 15-1. After giving a speech following his victory at his campaign headquarters at the Ambassador Hotel, Robert Kennedy entered the kitchen and turned to shake hands with a busboy. At that moment, gunshots rang out, and Robert Kennedy was assassinated. At his funeral, Teddy Kennedy eulogized his brother "As he said many times, in many parts of this nation, to those he touched and who sought to touch him, "Some men see things as they are and say, 'Why' I dream things that never were and say, 'Why not " (Schlesinger 349). As the last major player in the Kennedy clan, Ted Kennedy's life, just like the lives of his brothers, brought him into the role of politics. In 1962, he was elected into the Senate and as of 2006, he is the second-longest serving senator. Much like his brothers, Ted decided on a political careers, based mostly on his father's influence. Thus, with Ted's choice of career, we can again see how Joe Kennedy influenced his son's desires and goals. His legacy in the Senate is one for history, as he has become a colorful character known for his liberalism, and some of his own personal tragedies and struggles. After his father had passed away, Ted became the family patriarch, and spent much of his time raising his brother's children, as well as his own. However, he would never run for President. Although many wanted him to, having seen two brothers killed in their attempts to gain and hold the seat, Ted Kennedy's desires and initiatives never brought him in that direction. However, because of his long-standing participation in the Senate, and his much longer life, he has become a central political figure, and is probably one of the most famous Senators in American political history. Thus, he has certainly crawled out of the shadows of his older brothers, and made a name for himself in the Senate, a name his father would be proud of. Thus, the Kennedy legacy does live on, mostly at the present time through Ted Kennedy, who continues to be active in the Senate and whose legacy reflects upon that of his father's and brothers'. Ted is also still Catholic, a fact Rose would be proud of. However, the other sons and daughters of Joe and Rose certainly also were influenced by their parents, as can be seem in their political drive and acceptance of, or rejection of, the Catholic religion. Rose and Joe heavily influenced their children, as most parents do, however, they had the money and power to actually forward their children's careers, which they did. Whether politics was always a Kennedy ambition or only Joe's ambition is difficult to say, as it seems Joe did want all of his sons to go into politics. Did the sons all really want this That question is difficult to answer, however, we can say that the sons did go into politics because they were influenced by their father's desires and ambitions. Rose's influence can also be seen in the children, as John Kennedy, for instance, would become the first Catholic President. Therefore, the influence of Rose and Joe Kennedy helped to spur a dynasty of America's royalty, the Kennedys. Works Cited Dallek, R. An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963, Little Brown, 2003. Gibson, B. Rose Kennedy and Her Family: The Best and the Worst of Their Lives Carol Publishing Corporation, 1995. Goodwin, D. The Fitzgeralds and The Kennedys: An American Saga Simon and Schuster, 1987. "How Joe Kennedy Made His Son President." 4 April 2006. . "Rosemary Kennedy." Wikipedia. 4 April 2006. Ryan, D & Ryan, L. The Kennedy Family of Massachusetts Greenwood Press, 1981. Schlesinger, A. Robert Kennedy and His Times Mariner Books, 2002. Whalen, R. The Founding Father: The Story of Joseph P. Kennedy: A Study of Power, Wealth and Family Ambition Regency Publishing, 1993. Read More