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CauseandEffectonKennedysInauguralAddressof1961
Itisfairtosaythateverythingthathappenshasarelatedeffectand,inthesameway,
everythingthathappensisduetosomekindofcause.Forexampleeverytimesomeoneinhales,
thatsamesomeoneexhales.InJanuary20,1961,newlyelectedPresidentKennedywas
deliveringhisinauguralspeechacrossthenation.Atthetime,Americahadtakenitsfairshareof
warthroughindependence,civil,twoworldwars,andtheveryhauntingandforgottenwarof
Korea(RememberingtheForgottenWar...).Uptothatpoint,Americahadbeensuccessfulin
victoryhowever,intheyeartocome,Americawouldbefacedwiththeloomingthreatof
nuclearwarfareandtherecurringopponentofcommunism.Allthesearecausesthatimpacted
thewayinwhichPresidentJohnF.Kennedyleadhisnationintowhathecalledahardand
bitterpeace(JohnF.Kennedy).
Immediatelybeginninghisspeechforcefully,Kennedydeclaimsanend(JohnF.
Kennedy)totowhathecametorefertoasthecommonenemiesofman(LifeofJohnF.
Kennedy).Justfifteenyearsearlier,AmericahadjustendedanongoingtimeofwarinEurope
where,thousandsandthousandsofmenfoughtandveryfewmadeitbackhome.Thewarnot
onlytookpriorityontheAmericanfront,buttheentireworld.Thiswarwasnosmallscalefight
thiswasthesecondtimeAmericahadinvolveditselfinaWorldWar(WhendidWW2FInish).
Morespecifically,whatKennedywasreferencingtowasendingthetyranny,poverty,and
diseasethatravagedoverweakercountriesinstrongdoseagebypowerful,militantnations.In
effecthefollowswith,abeginning(JohnF.Kennedy)hemeantthecreationofthebeginning
ofpeace.Notmorethanthreemonthsintohispresidency,Kennedywillhavehadcreatedapeace

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corpsoperation(LifeofJohnF,Kennedy).Thisinfantpeacecorpswasmadeupofcollege
volunteersand,notonlydidthepeacecorpshelpwithAmericanaffairs,italsowenttoother
nationsandtrainedtheirpeoplelivinginoppressivesituations(1960).Throughhisterm,though
short,KennedymademajorstridesinevolvingtheAmericanmindsettoastateofmorepeace
andtoleration.Overall,KennedywasapresidentwhowaslookingtobetterAmerica,andin
effect,hedid.
In1776,thethirteenBritishcoloniesbecamethefirstthirteenAmericanstates.Thecause
forseparationfromBritain,wasthetraditionalneedoftheAmericanspiritforasysteminwhich
peopleareheardandarefairlyrepresented.Withsuchanimpactfulandrelevantevent,that
createdalloftodaysAmerica,itmakessensethatKennedyremindedhispeoplethattheir
ancestorsfoughtfortheprivilegeoffreedom:Wearetheheirsofthatfirstrevolution(JohnF.
Kennedy).Ontopofthat,becausetheAmericascamefromsuchanidealisticlifestyle,in
comparisontomostnations,andbecauseofthesolemnoath[their]forebearstook,

America
neededtodoherpartandprovideassistancetothealliesfallentothecommon
enemy(Kennedy,Inauguraladdress).
OneoftheenemiesKennedywasreferencingwastheinevitable,andreappearingenemy
ofcommunism.NottoolongbeforeKennedystimeaspresident,Americahadhadstoodagainst
thecommunisttyrantKimIlSungofNorthKoreaashetriedtodominateandenforce
communismupontheruntofSouthKorea(KoreanWar).ThousandsofAmericantroopswere
sentoverseasandalargefractiondidnotmakeitontheroundtripback.Thosewhodid,were
notgiventheattentionareturningveteranhopestoreceive.Thewarbecameknownasthe
forgottenwar(RememberingTheForgottenWar:Korea19501953).Whilethesesoldiers

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technicallymadeitbacktotheUnitedStates,manywerestillinaKoreancombatmindset.Itis
estimatedhalfamillionveteranssufferedfromsomekindofposttraumaticdisorderwithout
gettingtheproperhelptheyneeded.Kennedy,acknowledgingthevaliantactionstakenbythese
men,recompensatedthemthroughhomeloansandgrants,aswellasabundantmedicalcarefor
thoseinjuredincombat.
Unfortunately,KoreawasnotAmericaslastconfrontationwithcommunism.Startingin
1963,Americawasonceagainputupagainstacommunistnation,thistimeVietnam(The
VietnamWar).LikeinKorea,Americawasonceagainfightingagainstcommunismand,once
againlikeKorea,thecommunistNorth,undertheruleofHoChiMinh,waspittedagainst
underdevelopedSouthVietnam(HoChiMinh...).UnlikeKorea,however,Americawasnot
successfulinitsquesttostopcommunismandtothisdayVietnamiscommunist.Thiseventis
whatKennedywaswaitingforwhenhesaidthatnationswhotestedfreedomshouldbereadyto
defendagainstAmerica.

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"KoreanWar."
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"KoreanWarEducator:TopicsHealthIssuesPostTraumaticStress."
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"LifeofJohnF.Kennedy."
JohnF.KennedyPresidentialLibrary&Museum
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Oct.2014.
"TheHistoryPlaceVietnamWar19691975."
TheHistoryPlaceVietnamWar19691975
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N.p.,n.d.Web.25Oct.2014.

"WhenDidWW2Finish?"
WorldWar2
.N.p.,n.d.Web.22Oct.2014.
"1960's."
PeaceCorps.
N.p.,n.d.Web.8Oct.2014.