Spring Break
Accepting the Torch on January 20th
Brian Dutt (OE), Contributing Writer
Issue date: 10/27/08 Section: News
On January 20th, 1961, John Fitzgerald Kennedy proclaimed in his inaugural speech that "the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage." It was a humble declaration that his generation would take on the challenge of leading our country through some of its most difficult challenges.
On January 20th, 2009, a new president will be sworn to office, with challenges as great as those faced by Kennedy. He will be the president that defines the ideals of the next generation of Americans, whose understanding of the world has been framed by 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the unraveling of our once thought unsinkable economy.
JFK was the first American president born in the 20th Century. He was of a different generation than his predecessor, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was born in 1890, and FDR before him. Kennedy's election represented the changing of the guard to a new generation of leaders in our country - men who had entered political consciousness during the aftermath of the great depression and the demanding times of World War II. His ascent to leadership came during trying times. The Civil Rights movement, which began in Montgomery, Alabama in 1956, had created a deep racial divide in the south, and the arms build-up of the Soviet Union was feeding widespread angst about attacks from overseas. The Vietnam war was in its early stages, but in the years to come, a deep polarization would split the country between those supporting the war and the social movement that sprung up to protest it.
My parents were part of the early baby boomers, born in the 1940s-1950s, and who came to understand the world based on the way it changed during the '60s, beginning with Kennedy's initiation of the Civil Rights act (signed after his death). For some, it meant an embracing of equality and peace, and for others, it meant the opposite. It is likely no coincidence that this generation, which has sat in the White House for the past 16 years, and that composes a significant portion of Congress has had such great difficulty uniting on issues. It is a generation born out of great dissent - a generation that includes names like Bill and Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Nancy Pelosi, Mitt Romney, Dick Cheney and Mitch McConnell.
On January 20th, 2009, a new president will be sworn to office, with challenges as great as those faced by Kennedy. He will be the president that defines the ideals of the next generation of Americans, whose understanding of the world has been framed by 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the unraveling of our once thought unsinkable economy.
JFK was the first American president born in the 20th Century. He was of a different generation than his predecessor, Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was born in 1890, and FDR before him. Kennedy's election represented the changing of the guard to a new generation of leaders in our country - men who had entered political consciousness during the aftermath of the great depression and the demanding times of World War II. His ascent to leadership came during trying times. The Civil Rights movement, which began in Montgomery, Alabama in 1956, had created a deep racial divide in the south, and the arms build-up of the Soviet Union was feeding widespread angst about attacks from overseas. The Vietnam war was in its early stages, but in the years to come, a deep polarization would split the country between those supporting the war and the social movement that sprung up to protest it.
My parents were part of the early baby boomers, born in the 1940s-1950s, and who came to understand the world based on the way it changed during the '60s, beginning with Kennedy's initiation of the Civil Rights act (signed after his death). For some, it meant an embracing of equality and peace, and for others, it meant the opposite. It is likely no coincidence that this generation, which has sat in the White House for the past 16 years, and that composes a significant portion of Congress has had such great difficulty uniting on issues. It is a generation born out of great dissent - a generation that includes names like Bill and Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Nancy Pelosi, Mitt Romney, Dick Cheney and Mitch McConnell.
Be the first to comment on this story