Tomorrow, Jan. 20, will mark the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address. Its timeless, oft-quoted lines make it remembered to this day as one of the most powerful and influential speeches of any U.S. president, or any figure, of the 20th century.
Kennedy’s speech focused on the challenges the country faced at the time – and some it continues to face today. Some words were provocative: “Let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house”; while some were conciliatory: “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us.” There were also Biblical allusions, with Kennedy offering an olive branch to the nation’s adversaries: “Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah—to ‘undo the heavy burdens ... and to let the oppressed go free.’”
In sweeping terms, he asked the American people to make the nation’s challenges their own. He discussed world poverty, the scourge of Communism, nuclear deterrence as well as arms control, the need for international cooperation as well as national self-determination, and how freedom is a universal human desire and right.
As one of a series of reflections offered to Columbia magazine, Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver aptly summed up the speech’s lasting influence:
After so many years and so much history, John F. Kennedy's 1961 inaugural address can be hard to read. It's too pure, too strong in its simplicity, and too moving — especially for those of us who actually heard it delivered as young adults and believed in its promise. Kennedy gave one of the great speeches of American public rhetoric — maybe the greatest since Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. His words, at the same time forceful and elegant, distilled the best of the American spirit — and Kennedy clearly embodied those words.
Then there’s the recollection of Ray Flynn, a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, mayor of Boston and ambassador to the Holy See. Flynn, who is also a Knight of Columbus remembers his impression of Kennedy’s address, which he experienced as a student at Providence College.
“During that historic evening, we listened to President Kennedy's moving and eloquent address on television. He challenged and inspired us to give, not just take — to ask ourselves what we can do for our country and for the cause of freedom,” Flynn said. “These were among the most important words of advice that my generation ever heard.”
You can read the rest of the reflections on Kennedy’s words from the December issue of Columbia.
To commemorate the historic anniversary of the first Catholic president of the United States, the Knights of Columbus has just announced the results of a survey conducted with the Marist Institute to discover how Kennedy’s words and message still resonate with the American people.
The poll captures a cross-section of sentiments from across the generations, from the Millennials (aged 18 to 29), Generation X, the Baby Boomer Generation, and the Greatest Generation.
During a time when political disagreements seem to occupy the lion’s share of media attention, it is helpful to reconsider the stated ideals of a leader who seemed to embody a patriotic consensus in a period of profound national trial.
Across all age groups polled, and even among those who are decades removed from the historic speech in 1961, Kennedy’s words continue to hold profound meaning. It should come as no surprise that approximately three-quarters of Americans considered Kennedy’s call to “ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” as highly important.
The survey also finds that Americans rate highly the president's affirmation that “the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.”
It is interesting to note that strong majorities in all age brackets would rate Kennedy as one of the country’s best presidents. Among Millennials, 82 percent consider him in the top echelon.
Kennedy, like all great leaders, was far from perfect, and also struggled with his own personal demons. The Knights of Columbus-Marist poll confirms, however, that today, as in January of 1961, his historic address has lasting meaning and continues to exemplify the very best of what it means to be an American.
- Paul Ciarcia
Very interesting, not covered by other major new outlets. They tended to stay focused on the Kennedy TV Movie being scrapped for being too controversial.
Posted by: Brendan Francis | January 20, 2011 at 02:48 PM