JFK’s legacy at 50
At a mere 1,355 words, John F. Kennedy’s first speech as president took just 14 minutes to read. Delivered the morning of Jan. 20, 1960 (“cold but brilliant,” according to one news report), his inaugural address ranked as one of the shortest on record — and to many, one of the most memorable. The speech was an immediate hit. “The mood and emphasis were dedicatory and determined; the language, widely praised for eloquence,” The New York Times declared at the time. The address’s most famous line exhorted a generation to pursue careers and lives guided by public service. “My fellow Americans,” Kennedy intoned, “ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.” Fifty years later, the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) and the Institute of Politics (IOP) are honoring the spirit of Kennedy’s oft-cited challenge with a series of events designed to highlight the importance...