John Dallek s An Unfinished Life - 3220 Words

Mollie McLean APUSH August 19, 2015 Period 5 Review of a Completed Biography: John Dallek’s An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy John Dallek’s authorship has intensively inquired about many presidents, evaluating their entire lives, personal and political. With his work comprising of many presidential biographies, Dallek has payed tribute to one man who consistently tops the charts of America’s Favorite President on frequent; the dearly beloved President John Fitzgerald Kennedy. Serving from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963, Kennedy had a large impact on a multitude of people around the world, making numerous bold changes in the United States’ domestic living whilst trying to prevent Communism and nuclear weapons†¦show more content†¦Secondly, liberals were upset that Kennedy had been nominated over more radical and outspoken civil rights reformers. To secure a better stance amongst the liberals and African Americans, JFK needed to reach out to their communities. So when Martin Luther King Jr. was impris oned in Georgia for attempting to integrate a restaurant, Jack Kennedy called King’s wife to offer sympathy and support. This helped him to make a better impression with civil rights activists and African Americans. Lastly, JFK’s debate with Nixon proved him to be a more calm and collected candidate, looking younger and more at ease than the â€Å"abrasive†, â€Å"unstatesmanlike†, and â€Å"haggard† Nixon (Dallek, 17-18). All of these efforts resulted in Kennedy receiving votes by the Catholic, African American, and liberal majority. Even though he had made the clear in the election, many did not know his health had been withering for decades. Dixon made a point to be inclusive of Kennedy’s personal life by extensively studying his health issues yet untapped by the press. He shared that at two years old, Kennedy was admitted to the hospital with scarlet fever for two months. His health only deteriorated with age as he experienced abdominal pains, weight loss, and fatigue which he later found to be