John F Kennedy

Although the American government is not a monarchy and participates in a democracy where civilians are promised "liberty and justice for all", there is certainly a persona of the "ideal" American that the population may see equivalent to royalty. Education, a desire to protect the people while sacrificing self, and building a family in which to instill the morals and principles of American society and democracy are all qualities John Fitzgerald Kennedy possessed. JFK, the youngest president to ever serve the United States, embraced these American standards; making himself, his family, and his service to our country a marvel and celebration of what our great country represents and is capable of achieving. Last year, our country celebrated 50 years since the JFK administration and it is without doubt that only a figure with such vibrancy and will to see his country flourish could hold such a legacy for half of a century.

The '60's for the United States was a revolution; a time when the people were moving past traditional ways of segregation and advancing in technology as well as warfare. JFK lead the American people through such a time fearless and consistently. Harvard educated and a veteran of the Second World War, JFK was not hesitant to join his country's naval fleet to protect the citizens. His relationship with his father, the Ambassador of America in the UK, only strengthened his love of politics and issues pressing the United States, which eventually encouraged him to run for the House of Representatives, Senate, and eventually President of the United States of America. He was a symbolic figure that America could find hope in. While the country was in turmoil of nuclear war scares, a Cold war, the end of African American segregation, rising problems in Vietnam, and outer space technology advancements, the opportunity for a bold leader presented itself, and the optimism the American people once were known for was restored.

While some may argue that JFK's approach to the Bay of Pigs invasion was a failure and set the United States up for years of friction with Cuba and Fidel Castro, one must also consider the vitality JFK envisioned the potential USSR ally, Castro, to be. Tension between the Soviets and US was building tremendously, at a speed that could bring danger and harm to the people. With JFK's promise to guard the citizens, he acted upon instinct and incorporated the willing exiled Cubans to invade a potentially dangerous country. The efforts were unsuccessful, but it was better to have attempted to stop a growing force than to ignore a predicament so close to home and risk the lives of citizens.

While Kennedy was considered a member of the Democratic Party, he was always an independent thinker and ahead of the political realm. He saw no boundaries to events and issues pertaining to worldly matters, nor to the ways he and the people of the United States could help.