History 474B

Devine

Spring 2004

 

Study Questions on the Kennedy Presidency

 

Weisberger, “Closer to the Edge”

 

  1. How did Kennedy’s inaugural address and cabinet appointments mark a break with the past?  With regard to fighting the cold war, was this break one more of style or substance?

 

  1. Why had Cuba become a cause for concern among U.S. policy makers during the late 1950s and early 1960s?

 

  1. Why did the Bay of Pigs invasion have to “look Cuban?”  Why did the invasion fail to achieve its purpose?

 

  1. If Cuba was a thorn in Kennedy’s side, why was Berlin a bone in Khrushchev’s throat?

 

  1. How did the failure of the Bay of Pigs invasion and Kennedy’s meeting with Khrushchev in Vienna influence the President’s approach to foreign policy?

 

  1. What caused the Cuban Missile Crisis?  How might the Soviets’ answer to this question differ from the Americans’ answer?

 

  1. What were some of the key decisions made by both the Americans and the Soviets during the Cuban Missile Crisis?

 

  1. What role did Robert Kennedy play during the Cuban Missile Crisis?  Why was he a key player?

 

  1. How did the Cuban Missile Crisis affect subsequent U.S.-Soviet relations?

 

Matusow, “Politics and Principle: The Issue of Civil Rights”

 

  1. How did Democratic party politics affect Kennedy’s civil rights policies?

 

  1. Why did Kennedy retain the support of black voters even though his efforts on their behalf were fairly minimal over the first year of his presidency?

 

  1. How did Robert Kennedy’s attitude toward the issue of civil rights change over time?  What factors brought about this change?

 

  1. Why did the Kennedy administration prefer a voter-registration campaign over direct confrontation?

 

  1. Why didn’t the Kennedy administration intervene more actively to protect black civil rights in the South?

 

  1. What was the FBI’s attitude toward the civil rights movement?

 

  1. How did the “battle of Oxford” (involving James Meredith’s admission to the University of Mississippi) and the Birmingham riots change the Kennedy administration’s civil rights strategy?  How was this change reflected in Kennedy’s speech to the nation in April 1963?

 

  1. What was the significance of the Civil Rights Act of 1964?  Who played key roles in the evolution and passage of this law?

 

  1. Was the Kennedy Administration more concerned with politics or principle when it came to the issue of civil rights?

 

 

Giglio, “Image and Reality”

 

  1. How would you characterize Kennedy’s relationship with the press? Friendly? Exploitative? Dishonest?

 

  1. How did the image of a vigorous, healthy President Kennedy compare to the reality?

 

  1. Did Kennedy’s extra-martial affairs have any effect on his presidency?  Was his behavior reckless?

 

  1. How flattering is the portrait the author paints of Jackie Kennedy?  What were her strengths and shortcomings?

 

  1. Why have images of the Kennedy administration tended to predominate over the reality?

 

  1. Why were the FBI and CIA uninterested in a thorough investigation of the circumstances surrounding President Kennedy’s death?  Why did a so-called “conspiracy of silence” emerge?

 

  1. How did Kennedy’s assassination shape the ways that Americans remember him and his presidency?

 

  1. What were some of President Kennedy’s successes and concrete achievements while in office? In what areas did he fall short of expectations?