Encyclopedia of the Kennedys: The People and Events That Shaped America [3 volumes]: The People and Events That Shaped America

Joseph M. Siracusa

Sep 2012 · ABC-CLIO

About this ebook

An expansive reference that overviews John F. Kennedy's presidency, covering the people, places, and events that comprised the political landscape of the Kennedy era.

The Kennedy family has played a leading role in the annals of American politics for over 100 years, no greater than when John F. Kennedy (JFK) became the 35th president of the United States. The celebrity surrounding the circumstances of his presidency, particularly his sudden assassination, made JFK the object of many enduring myths: that he might have been one of the country's greatest leaders had he lived, that he would have kept the United States out of Vietnam, and that he was a martyr to right-wing assassins.

Encyclopedia of the Kennedys: The People and Events That Shaped America is a three-volume reference set that provides an in-depth look at JFK's presidency, including his foreign and domestic policies, political allies and enemies, and major events and speeches. This A–Z encyclopedia also contains entries on the events of the 1960s that changed our nation forever, such as JFK's assassination and the Warren Commission report, the space program, and the My Lai Massacre, as well as the individuals who defined the time, such as writers Norman Mailer and James Baldwin, folk musicians Bob Dylan and Joan Baez, and activists Cesar Chavez and Martin Luther King, Jr. Appendices provide a substantial archive of primary documents and identify officeholders during JFK's presidency, while an annotated bibliography supplies sources for additional research.

A compelling timeline of JFK's presidency plots out major events

A special focus on New Frontier policies and the president's conflicts with Communist regimes illuminate important domestic and foreign affairs

Primary source documents include speeches, transcriptions of Cuban Missile Crisis discussions, and legislation

Several useful appendices feature the entire Kennedy-Nixon debates and the Warren Report conclusions, among other documents

About the author

Joseph M. Siracusa, PhD, is professor of human security and international diplomacy and associate dean of international and justice studies at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia.