'I Am Not The Catholic Candidate For President': How Faith Shaped JFK And His 1960 Campaign
Part of a series marking the 100-year anniversary of the birth of President John F. Kennedy in Brookline.
Jack on the day of his confirmation on April 27, 1928, Riverdale, New York. (Courtesy John F. Kennedy Library Foundation)
May 25, 2017
By Lisa Mullins and Lynn Jolicoeur
John F. Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States — the youngest ever elected. He was a son of Massachusetts, born in Brookline 100 years ago. But perhaps what most set him apart when he was elected was that he was Irish. And even more unthinkable: he was Catholic. His family was built on its faith. His campaign for president was almost crushed by it.
The story of how John Kennedy became the most powerful leader in the world is, in part, the story of mid-century America in the midst of transition.
"Catholics are starting to make it in large numbers in the 40s and 50s, right after the second world war. The G.I. Bill is sending a lot of them to higher education for the first time," says professor James O'Toole, who teaches the history of American Catholicism at Boston College.
"Though there had been plenty of instances in the past of discrimination against Catholics, by the 1940s and 50s — when President Kennedy's political career is just getting going — Catholics are starting to make it more and more and have more of an impact," O'Toole explains. "And of course, politically, in Massachusetts, they were very strong."
http://www.wbur.org/news/2017/05/25/kennedy-catholicism-presidential-campaign
8:49 audio at link.
Monday, Memorial Day, is his 100th birthday.
