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It is the Man that Makes the Presidency

Allison Singleton
AP U.S. Government
Ms. Hoover
"I promise that I have neither given nor received help, nor plagiarized any part of this paper. I
hereby promise that the thoughts found herein are my own, or are properly cited from a source.
Signed: Allison Singleton"












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The growing role of America as a world power had a much greater influence on John F.
Kennedys presidency than his specific actions did, because the motivation behind most of his
decisions were due to foreign implications. Events such as the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban
Missile Crisis, and the Nuclear Ban-Test Treaty were key incidents or compromises that JFK
made in order to follow his beliefs of ending the Arms Race and beating Communism.
In 1959, Fidel Castro overthrew the previous Cuban dictator and took control of the
country [5]. He had close ties with the Soviets and therefore John F. Kennedy was afraid that
Communism would spread to Cuba. The Eisenhower Administration before him had decided to
train some of the Cuban exiles and get them to overthrow Castro, seemingly leaving the United
States out of the conflict, although the attempt providing futile because they were soon
discovered [5]. The invasion on the beaches of the Bay of Pigs failed as the brigade was heavily
fired upon [5]. All the continued attempts failed and ultimately Kennedy gave up his attempts at
protecting Cuba. Even though this plot is considered a failure, it shows that the decisions that
Kennedy made during his time in office were made mainly as preventative measures. Since
America was such a prominent world power, he felt obligated to do what he could to help the
thwart the influence of Communism.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was most likely the climax of the Cold War. The United States
discovered that the Soviets were using Cuba as a launch location for nuclear weapons [3]. In
reaction, John F. Kennedy sent the navy to blockade the country in order to prevent further
Soviet supplies from reaching the banks [3]. He then ordered Cuba to destroy the nuclear
weapons and threatened that if his will was not met, then he was willing to do whatever it took to
protect his country [3]. Eventually the Soviets decided to destroy the weapons as long as the
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United States did not attempt to invade Cuba again [3]. JFK was recorded during a White House
Meeting saying, It is insane that two men, sitting on opposite sides of the world, should be able
to decide to bring an end to civilization [4]. The decision that Kennedy made to prevent the
Soviets from reaching Cuba could have been one that led to full on war, but it was a decision that
he felt was best for the country and the world as a whole. If the Soviets were allowed to continue
the construction of the weapons, there would have been no telling who the first victims of such a
catastrophic attack would have been.
Following the Cuban Missile Crisis, John F. Kennedy pushed for the Nuclear Test-Ban
Treaty. He knew that complete disarmament was unrealistic, but he believed that the reservations
put on the testing of the devices would help walk the world towards peace. The Soviets
eventually were willing to sign the pact saying that all atmospheric, space, or underwater testing
of nuclear weapons was strictly prohibited [4]. It was the first real step towards the end of the
Arms Race. This treaty was a way for Kennedy to get the Soviets to back off with the nuclear
weapons. If they had continued down the path of spreading Communism and protecting
themselves with nuclear warheads, then there most likely would have been a third World War.
The Cold War was one of the most tension-filled times that the United States has ever
gone though, and John F. Kennedy had to make a lot of crucial decisions that could have caused
catastrophic destruction if improperly judged. All the individual decisions that he made were
very important, but he ultimately made them because the United States was such a prevalent
world power. The events that he dealt with were not necessary for the United States to intervene
in, but it was so important that they did because Kennedy recognized the potential for destruction
that lay ahead if uncontained. It was truly a test of whether the man makes the presidency or if
his environment shapes him. In JFKs case, he unquestionably made the presidency because not
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many people would have been able to handle the pressure that he was under. Even though the
environment and circumstances cause the conflicts, without the right man in office, the positive
outcome is not certain.




















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Work Cited
[1]-John F. Kennedy. Presidents. The White House, 2006. Web. 11 March 2014.
[2]-John F. Kennedy. People. Bio, 2014. Web. 11 March 2014.
[3]-Cuban Missile Crisis. JFK. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, n.d. Web.
11 March 2014.
[4]-Nuclear Test Ban Treaty. JFK. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, n.d.
Web. 11 March 2014.
[5]-The Bay of Pigs. JFK. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, n.d. Web. 11
March 2014.