John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born in May of 1917 to Joseph P Kennedy Sr. & Rose Kennedy in Brookline Massachusetts. Being Irish Catholic, they did not fit in with their white Anglo-Saxon counterparts. "The Kennedys were caught between classes: while they preferred not to associate with the lower-class Irish, many Yankees still snubbed them.… A few years later [Joseph Kennedy] objected to a newspaper calling him an Irish-American. Puzzled he said, "I was born here. My children were born here. What the hell do I have to do to be an American?" It would however, be fair to say John was born into an upper middle-class household. His Grandfather, former Senator for Massachusetts & 2 term mayor of Boston, provided a status and a path for John to follow into adulthood. John graduated from the Choate School in 1935, a private High School in Bronxville, New York the town where he would live out his teenage years. John would go on to attend Princeton university before transferring to Harvard where he graduated with honors. While at Harvard John was Chairmen of the Smoker Committee, St. Paul Catholic Club, participated in house hockey, and was a member of the Junior Varsity swim team. Following his time at Harvard John joined the U.S. Naval Reserve in 1941 where he was in command of a series of ships around the Solomon Islands in the Pacific. John was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1947 and served until 1953. Following his time in the House he became the Junior Senator for Massachusetts in 1953 and served until 1960. By contrast, Ronald Reagan did not experience the same silver spoon childhood as Kennedy. Born February 1911 in the second-floor of a commercial apartment to Jack Reagan & Nelle Clyde in Tampico, Illinois Reagan was already making a case for his populist background. "Jack Reagan struggled with alcoholism most of his life forcing the family to relocate frequently, often just ahead of the bill collector." finally settling in Dixon Illinois. Also born into an Irish-Catholic household Reagan would go on to attend Dixon High School (public) where he was involved in the theatre program. Ronald would attend Eureka College where he held the office of student body president. Majoring in Economics and Sociology, Ronald graduated with a "C grade" in 1937. After graduation Reagan worked as a radio announcer for the Chicago Cubs while concurrently taking at home courses for the U.S. Army. His gig with the Cubs would land him a contract with Warner Brothers Studios where he was credited for 19 films. Ronald was deemed to have insufficient eyesight to warrant foreign service in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Mason in California where he was mostly responsible for transport services (mail). The upbringings of the two future presidents are far from similar, born only years apart they were molded by two different views of America. One by the harsh reality of Midwestern lower-middle class life, & the other by the Cambridge affluency of the East Coast political elite. Both men would go on to do great things, but it is in our roots that we become the people we will be for the rest of our lives. The hardships suffered by Kennedy at this time appear far more insignificant to that of Reagan. However, Reagan's childhood to him was not seen as a document but an experience to build from. According to Schaller, "Reagan attributed his lifelong optimism to his happy childhood, which he later described as "one of those rare, then – Tom Sawyer idylls." One of Reagan's most effective White House speechwriters, Peggy Noonan, "had a feeling he came from a sad house" it could be said that while John Kennedy was preparing for the presidency Ronald Reagan was preparing for the world that he knew to be unforgiving.
Inaugural addresses are meant to be an outline for a president's four years as Commander in Chief. They are a standard by which the public is to understand the executive branches platform, as well as smooth the transition of power from one sitting president to the next. President Kennedy took time for a "celebration of freedom" on the day of his inauguration in 1961. He spoke of natural liberty & warned the worlds collective nations by asserting, "Let every other power know that this Hemisphere intends to remain the master of its own house." It was of course his infamous call to the American people to be civically engaged that to this day is one of the most memorable quotes in history: "And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for your–ask what you can do for your country." Kennedy was able to evoke the image of a "beginning anew," asking "both sides" — including adversary and America, democracy & dictatorship — to pursue technological advances, "explore the stars" united, & "let the oppressed go free." President Reagan in his first inaugural address attempted to recharge Americans confidence in their government and its leaders. He set his sights on the Constitution and sought to view it as a tool by which the idea of self-government could thrive and the overwhelming power of the state be controlled. Reagan called for the "removing of the roadblocks" impeding economic growth and causing the decline in productivity. Reagans presidency is respected and studied by todays Republican party members. His small government values were demonstrated clearly when he announced that "government is the problem."
What transpired for Kennedy and Reagan appears very similar initially. Kennedy experienced the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961, shortly after taking office. Followed by the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962. Reagans war however, was his actions as a "Peacekeeper" in Lebanon from 1982 to 1984. As Commanders in Chief, the two presidents did not appear to be prepared for their challenges early on. Their efforts never seemed to work for them. Neither were able to maintain control or effectiveness. Not long after the commencement of Reagans term he formed an alliance with Saddam Hussein. Reagan had reversed the neutrality policy implemented by Jimmy Carter. Regan then went public, gifting cargo bays packed with materials necessary for Saddam war is Iran. The alliance forged between Reagan and Saddam was not beneficial to the American public. the alliance only served in propagating the death toll of Iranians by the tens of thousands. In August 1982 Reagan was permitted participation in a Peacekeeping mission to Lebanon. The mission’s purpose was to provide aid and cleanup after a violent invasion by the nation of Israel. Reagan managed to turn "Peacekeeping" into an alliance with Christian militias fighting their Muslim counterparts in a brutal civil war. The allies Reagan acquired on this mission were the same individuals who were responsible for the wholesale slaughter of over 3,000 Palestinian civilians living in a refugee camp. Reagan withdrew ground forces when his barracks were destroyed, insisting on maintaining a naval presence offshore, often firing shells at unconfirmed targets until May 1984. In the process of Reagan's antagonistic approach, he prompted the bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut, resulting in 63 deaths. Reagan and his alliance in Lebanon combined with his bombing campaigns produced the radically aligned Hizb Allah, active and effective to this day.
Kennedy & Reagan dealt with the contrasting of the open societies of the West and the damaged civil societies of the Soviet Union. Both leaders believed in the power of presidential rhetoric to challenge the ideology of communist regimes in the East. For both presidents the fundamental moments transpired in West Berlin, 1963 & 1987. Kennedy & Reagan spoke of the hope that was to be gained by those suffering under communist rule. Reagan challenged Soviet leaders to "Tear down this wall" separating the city. However, the victories seen in the Soviet bloc did not lead to the extermination of communism, as evident by the structure of the Chinese political system.
"Reagan and his administration attempt to roll back the network of social welfare programs enacted since the new deal: limit the role of federal courts of promoting civil rights and liberties; reduce regulation of business, banking, and the environment; federal income tax rates; and encourage a conservative social ethic regarding reproductive rights, drug use, and the role of religion in public life." Ronald Reagan is remembered for is for his policies lowering taxes shrinking the government and cutting spending across the board. however it is of note that according to Shcaller "As a private citizen in 1964, Reagan opposed the landmark Civil Rights Act as infringement on property and states’ rights. He condemned the 1965 voting rights act, which opened the polls to African-Americans and so as "insulting to Southerners" as a presidential candidate, Reagan spoke against blessing for racial balance and criticized efforts to enact a holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr." Kennedy did not host a perfect record with regard to intervening in the pursuit of Civil Rights while president. However according to David Burner this is not causing to claim Kennedy held opposition to the idea. "[Kennedy's] conservative votes on civil rights, then, do not suggest moral indifference. Instead, they mean that the issue was not central to him, that he was not yet the champion of the committed liberalism that was to gain so much from the unperceived workings of his presidency" Ronald Reagan like Kennedy cannot be defined as racist by any sense of the word they both believed in the principle of equal opportunities and saw systemic disenfranchisement as a constitutional injustice. It is more likely that Ronald Reagan's views regarding civil rights were as a result of his lack of understanding of what it was like to be black in America. Because Ronald Reagan was a true populist that often meant he said things to align with those who he was tasked to address. According to shower in an attempt to appeal to white Southerners "Reagan spoke openly of his support for "states’ rights" a phrase which many interpreted as language critical civil rights." As opposed to Kennedy who chose to remain silent on the issue of civil rights as he believed taking a side would be detrimental to his political career perhaps taking a stand was worse than not taking one at all. under Ronald Reagan we saw an increase in the rate of incarcerated persons in the United States, this is due mostly to Ronald Reagan's mandatory minimum sentencing laws. This came about the same time as the notion that America was turning into a prison industrial complex. Combined with Ronald Reagan's tough on crime policy and the disproportionate amount of arrests of black Americans for nonviolent drug-related offenses the case for Ronald Reagan's spotless reputation as the Republican model for the presidency continues to be taken. According to shower "in 1980 state prisons help about 25,000. A decade later, the combined total exceeded 800,000, making the United States the leader among industrial nations in rates of incarceration." It is hard to imagine a world where drug related offenses and usage do not exist. However, the Reagan administration and by Nancy Reagan implemented the "just say no" campaign in order to discourage drug use. Of course the notion of addiction, mental illness, and other factors that lead to drug use were not considered. According to shower "some 750,000 Americans were arrested each year for drug offenses, most commonly involving marijuana. A disproportionate number of those convicted were black or Latino." During the Kennedy administration, there was a greater emphasis on immediate issues. Even issues like communism were not consider an immediate threat. When Pres. Kennedy was asked what his plan was to stop the spread of communism in the US he replied, "what am I supposed to do about that today." This sentiment of immediate issues was not prevalent in the Reagan administration. It was Reagan's desire to be the hero character in his movies that drove him to desire the capture and incarceration of those nasty pot smoking murderers. He imagined himself as the Lone Ranger riding off into the sunset, with Nancy by his side, like Tonto in a velvet pantsuit.
When Kennedy began his campaign for president in 1960, he pledged to "get this country moving again." When Kennedy took office he was not entirely sure what to do with regard to the economic policies of his party. In order to combat this Kennedy appointed a plethora of economic advisors to his cabinet. Kennedy's advisors offered up a list of suggestions to accomplish his pledge. His advisors recommended a panel of new spending initiatives, the creation of additional post offices, a national-park program, benefits for veterans, and among these they wished to push budget expenditures 15%. By 1962 Kennedy realized that these new programs were not working for the nation. Kennedy opted for a "high" monetary policy that would allow for the dollar to remain strong, combined with a "loose" fiscal policy that focused on domestic economic expansion. Kennedy would adopt a new plan that included a large tax cut. However, while the bill was sitting on the Senate floor Kennedy met his fateful end in Dallas. However, Lyndon B. Johnson assumed the presidency and Kennedy's tax plan was signed in. The result revealed a stagnant change in economic growth at the same time there was an impressive increase in prices. While it was not the growth Kennedy would have hoped for, the economy did not decline despite the increase in prices. It would be Reagan that would co-opt this plan and see it fulfill its potential. Reagan used the Kennedy model for his own tax plan in the 1980's. Reagans plan was successful as had Kennedy's. The tax-rate cut that was implemented in 1986 lowered to top tax bracket to the lowest it has been in 50 years leading to a steady growth of 4% each year. The mix of Kennedy-Reagan tax policy combined with a strong U.S. dollar remains the unbeaten in our century.