Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, arriving at the White House in 1961 for his final conference with President Kennedy, is introduced by the President to directors of the U.S. Freedom from Hunger campaign. Pictured (L to R) are: Singer Marian Anderson; George McGovern, Director of Food for Peace; Kennedy; Adenauer; and Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, widow of the World War I President. Credit – Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
The 60th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination reignites longstanding debates about his legacy and the effectiveness of the former president’s tenure in office. Key to understanding his enduring impact is his cultural agenda, which Kennedy intentionally used to construct the ideological groundwork for his administration and the changes he hoped to implement.
Presidents have long understood culture as a powerful weapon to executing their policy. In the early years of the republic, President George Washington implemented administrative etiquette to invoke respect for the institution of the presidency from both the electorate and foreign powers. He created specific protocols for guest visitation, which granted visitors access to the president while simultaneously upholding the dignity and decorum that Washington believed necessary for the fledgling nation’s new government.
Kennedy adopted that approach when he took the oath of office in 1961. While the founding generation used administrative protocol, classical symbols, architecture, and paintings to articulate America’s burgeoning political values, Kennedy championed American innovation and technological advancement and exhibited the best in American art, poetry, theater, music, cuisine (inspired by French tradition), and furnishings to demonstrate the nation’s readiness for its responsibility as global leader. In his inaugural address, Kennedy asserted that America’s “revolutionary beliefs” about the natural rights of mankind were contested around the globe. He promised “to assure the survival and the success of liberty.”
However, as he spoke, U.S. citizens faced the realities of discrimination. Even after the 1954 Brown v Board of Education ruling that condemned segregation in public schools, African Americans still sought equal access to public facilities, voting polls, educational institutions, employment opportunities, and reliable housing.
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Although Kennedy did not explicitly discuss this issue as he launched his presidency, he seemed to inadvertently express his personal feelings on the issue by using a cultural strategy. On Inauguration Day, Kennedy hosted two American cultural icons who symbolized his commitment to integration. African American contralto Marion Anderson sang “The Star Spangled Banner” and four-time Pulitzer recipient Robert Frost prepared an original poem that called the administration “a golden age of poetry and power” before reciting “The Gift Outright,” a poem about American continuity and progress.
The following February, Kennedy returned to the same strategy, inviting Grace Bumbry, an African American opera singer, to perform at the White House during a dinner honoring the nation’s Vice-President, House Speaker, and Chief Justice. Then in May, he hosted a state dinner for President and Mrs. Houphouët-Boigny of Africa’s Ivory Coast.
Laura Davis is an entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to Broadway, she offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.