The Collective Biography in the Memory of JFK

So one should examine what the media had to say about Kennedy’s inauguration in order to understand the media’s favor for him. Many may remember Kennedy for his speeches. He was a writer, according to Brooks Atkinson. She said, “He awoke the nation and put the rest of the world on notice…” According to Atikinson, Eisenhower had poor speeches because he had poor speechwriters; Kennedy, however, wrote his own speeches and wrote good ones. She said, “Kennedy quickened the life of the nation.” Because of this good media, the collective memory of Kennedy will be remembered as inspiration for American.

Specifically, Kennedy could be remembered for his policies. According to “Kennedy’s Cuba Statement” from the New York Times, Kennedy believed Cuba to be one of the many threats the communism brings to America. His primary concern seems to be America, which he is collectively remembered for. Consider when he says, “The United States in conjunction with other Hemisphere countries will make sure that, while increased Cuban armaments will be a burden to the unhappy people of Cuba themselves, they will be nothing more.” One can see that Kennedy represented the protection of American people. “They will be nothing more” than a threat to Cuba. Kennedy implies America will be safe from them. Kennedy will be remembered as a trustworthy president who represented America. In his policies, this is evident because Kennedy was not concerned with the security of Cuban citizens but ultimately the security of the American people.

Kennedy will be greatly remembered for his assassination on November 23rd, 1963. The day of the assassination, according to CBS, Kennedy was in Dallas giving a speech to earn the white vote in the South (after Kennedy alleged himself to civil rights). Kennedy was shot in his car. CBS said that word the president might have been shot was in the media almost instantly; though most people were uncertain for most the day, they spend about 24 hours speculating. Walter Cronkite was the man, according to the video, to officially announce Kennedy’s death on television. The media shaped the day of the assassination as a day of confusion because the media was confused, and this, in turn confused the public. This is why people sought newspapers to substantiate what they heard/saw in broadcast media.

The manner at which the media supported Kennedy may have impacted the public reaction to his death. According to a New York Times article, “Timetable of the Kennedy Funeral and Procession,” the public line was cut off at 8:25 a.m. This implies that a multitude of people attended the wake.

It is evident that the collective memory of Kennedy is that he was a good, young man who was concerned with keeping American’s secure. And it is blatant that the collective memory of Kennedy’s assassination was a confusing tragedy because of his popularity. If the media portrayed Kennedy as a bad president, his assassination and the many future deaths in the Kennedy family would have been less significant in our collective memory