TTC Video Reconsidering JFK

TTC Video – Reconsidering JFK
Lecturer: Michael Shelden, PhD Professor, Indiana State University | Course No. 30320

Although so much ink has been spilled and so many films have been made about JFK, recent years have seen the public release of documents and interviews with the people who knew him best, shedding new light on a man who perhaps never fully revealed himself to anyone: the courageous soldier, the political neophyte, the stylish leader, the casual playboy. Who was JFK? And what do we know about his presidency now that it, too, has been abridged and romanticized by history?
Reconsidering JFK is your chance to transport yourself back to a more innocent time in America, to a presidency mythologized in the romantic vision of “Camelot.” In these 12 in-depth lectures, Professor Michael Shelden of Indiana State University brings you the latest research and firsthand accounts to capture a fresh angle on a multifaceted, always fascinating American president.
Unlike most considerations of JFK, Professor Shelden takes you into the story through the eyes of people who experienced it. For instance, it is difficult to reflect on Kennedy’s assassination in Dallas without also thinking about Lee Harvey Oswald and Jack Ruby, the CIA and the mob, the Zapruder film, and the grassy knoll.

The Rise of a Star

Then, Professor Shelden takes you into the dramatic 1956 Democratic convention, where the young senator makes an astonishing showing, catching everyone off guard with his charisma and political savvy. You will see the wheeling and dealing that prevented him from achieving a place on Adlai Stevenson’s ticket-but also how this showing set young Jack up for a run at the presidency in 1960.

The human dramas surrounding JFK’s rise are many, including:

[]the role of mass media in building a candidate;
[]the nation’s fears of a Catholic president;
[]the 1960 televised debates between Kennedy and Richard Nixon;
[]Kennedy’s ability to mask his Addison’s disease and project a winning image.

The Education of a President

What was the secret to his success as president? Projecting a winning image might get you elected, but once you become president you have to find a way to govern. In three short years, President Kennedy arguably faced more challenges, at home and abroad, than any president in the second half of the 20th century.

His first test came quickly, when the CIA armed a group of Cuban rebels and sent them off to storm a beach at the Bay of Pigs. Perhaps naively, Kennedy approved the invasion but then surprised almost everyone by resisting full-scale war with Cuba-and by proxy, the Soviet Union. He may have been set up by hawkish Cold Warriors, but he showed resolve in resisting escalation.

The challenges didn’t stop with the Bay of Pigs. Almost immediately, he was hit with problems around the world:

[]rising tension in Vietnam, including a coup of President Diem;
[]labor negotiations with American corporate giants;
[]the Cuban Missile Crisis and the threat of nuclear annihilation;
[]the Civil Rights Movement and the urgent need for social change; and
[]hostile world leaders set on testing him any chance they could.

Uncover the interviews and documents to go inside the mind of Kennedy and his compatriots as they navigated a world in flux.

The Legacy of Camelot

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