JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is dedicated to our nation’s 35th president and to all those who, through the art of politics, seek a new and better world. Designed by I.M. Pei and built with the donations of 36 million people worldwide, the Kennedy Library overlooks Boston Harbor and houses a museum, research archives, and an education center. Administered by the National Archives and Records Administration, the Kennedy Library opened to the public in 1979 and is funded in part by federal appropriations and museum admissions. Major support also comes from individuals, corporations, and foundations whose generous donations to the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation are critical to advancing our work.
Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Inaugural Address, January 20, 1961
Cover Photograph: White House/Tom Spiegel. Page 1: James B. Hill. Page 2: Ralph Crane/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images. Page 3: John F. Kennedy Presidential Library Collection; Tom Fitzsimmons. Page 4: Cecile Stoughton; Tom Fitzsimmons; Cecile Stoughton. Page 5: Fred Ward (Blackstar); Tom Fitzsimmons. Page 6: Paul Schutzer/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images; Allan Goodrich (inset). Page 7: Allan Goodrich; Tom Fitzsimmons. Page 8: Abbie Rowe.
The Legacy.
People often ask me about my
father’s legacy. To me, one of President Kennedy’s greatest achievements was inspiring a generation of Americans to serve their country. He believed that each person in our society can make a difference, and that everyone should try. His influence reaches across decades because of his extraordinary ability to articulate fundamental principles of democracy, freedom, and patriotism. Here at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, people of all ages learn how they can give back to their communities and their fellow citizens. Through our museum exhibits, public forums, and research archives, we inspire individuals to get involved and to solve today’s problems with the same energy that my father devoted to the challenges of his time. Using the tools of our time, we have created an online presence and a digital archive that offer access to our resources from anywhere in the world. I am grateful for your commitment to making a difference and for your help in extending my father’s legacy to future generations. caroline kennedy president, john f. kennedy library foundation
JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Capturing a Dynamic Political Era
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John F. Kennedy helped set the stage for the world we live in today. The era in which he led this nation was one of the most dynamic in the 20th century. At its heart was an energetic and inspiring young president whose deeds still speak to the aspirations and ambitions of citizens everywhere. At the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, his legacy comes alive. We are a resource for preserving and understanding the huge documentary and audio-visual record of the Kennedy era. We are a source of inspiration to citizens worldwide who visit our Museum, our website, and our digital archives to experience the vitality of American democracy. And we are an educational center that promotes the ideal of public service and political participation.
the collections of the john f. kennedy presidential library and museum · 48 million pages of documents including: 8.4 million pages of John F. Kennedy’s personal, congressional, and presidential papers; the papers of Robert F. Kennedy, Edward M. Kennedy, and Jacqueline B. Kennedy; and materials from over 350 individuals and organizations · 8.5 million feet of motion picture film · 300,000 still photographs · 70,000 print volumes · 20,000 artifacts and works of art · 11,000 hours of audio recordings · 1,300 oral history interviews with individuals associated with the Kennedy era including Thurgood Marshall, John Kenneth Galbraith and Lady Bird Johnson · 1,200 hours of video recordings · The papers and memorabilia of Ernest Hemingway, donated by his family in recognition of President and Mrs. Kennedy’s commitment to the arts
From left: Floor of the 1960 Democratic National Convention; Mrs. Kennedy meets Indira Ghandi; young visitors at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
“The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is essential for anyone who wants to understand the 20th century and the life of one of the most popular presidents in history. The Kennedy Library takes you into the decade that President Kennedy so astutely predicted would be
History
the ‘revolutionary’ 1960s — an epoch of hope, courage, tragedy, and renewal that continues to affect all of our lives today.” Michael Beschloss Presidential Historian
Bringing History to Life From college students to award-winning biographers, thousands of researchers use our collections, shaping the raw data of history into books, articles, and documentaries so Americans can better understand the past and its impact on our lives today. The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum receives more research requests than any other presidential library. We guide historians and journalists through original sources that illuminate defining moments in our nation’s history, from the struggle for civil rights to the Vietnam War to the race to the moon.
A large portion of our holdings is available through our digital archives, and is easily accessible from our website. This puts a rich trove of historically significant documents within reach of people all over the world and lets us build engaging online educational resources, such as The President’s Desk, which affords an interactive exploration of President Kennedy’s life and administration.
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JOHN F. KENNEDY PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY AND MUSEUM
Showing Democracy in Action
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At the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, visitors have a front-row seat at the events that defined our nation’s modern political history. One of Boston’s top tourist attractions, the Museum welcomes more than 200,000 people from around the world each year. Multimedia exhibits use the power of President Kennedy’s words and image. Viewing treasures from our archives, visitors follow the 1960 campaign trail through the presidential debates, election returns, and the Inauguration to his thousand days in our nation’s highest office. President Kennedy’s style, humor, and grace under pressure are captured in video clips of the first president ever to hold live televised press conferences. Handwritten notes made during the Cuban Missile Crisis, diaries of Peace Corps volunteers, and President Kennedy’s resounding speech at the Berlin Wall are all strikingly relevant to current events. The artifacts on display can be interpreted by each generation in light of new challenges facing our democracy.
we choose the moon Celebrating JFK’s Vision To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing and President Kennedy’s vision that made this extraordinary achievement possible, the Kennedy Library launched WeChooseTheMoon.org on July 16th, 2009, 40 years to the minute after the historic lift-off. The interactive website recreates the drama of Apollo 11’s lunar mission using NASA’s archival audio, video, photos, and recordings. More than 1.3 million people logged on to the special website to take the five-day journey in real time. Visitors today can experience the thrill of the 1969 mission as it unfolded, while others who watched it live can recapture the original excitement.
From left: Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and President Kennedy, October 1962; Caroline Kennedy tours the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum with students from the Edward Devotion School in Brookline, MA; President Kennedy and John Glenn examine the space capsule; James Meredith integrates Ole Miss; students at a Kennedy Library workshop.
“I had never seen a debate before. It was really fun to hear what the other kids in my group thought because they were from a very diverse school. I learned that people have different views
Democracy
depending on their backgrounds. That day, when I came home, I actually talked to my parents about the elections.” A 10th grade student at the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum’s Candidate Debate Program
Inspiring New Generations Each year, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum introduces tens of thousands of schoolchildren to John F. Kennedy, a young man who would grow up to serve his country. Our Museum educators use interactive, ageappropriate materials to engage young visitors and make the lessons of history come alive – on-site, online, and through social media. To prepare students to play a full and active part in their communities and to take up the responsibilities of citizenship, the Kennedy Library holds campaign debates, mock elections, federal budget simulations, and summer workshops on public speaking. Our professional development institutes train teachers to use original source materials in the classroom, and our free performingarts series for families promotes our nation’s cultural heritage.
To enrich learning, the Kennedy Library’s website includes creative online curricula bringing stories such as that of James Meredith and the integration of the University of Mississippi into homes and schools nationwide.
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Honoring Political Courage
welcoming new americans
Each year, the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation honors public servants whose acts of political courage can alter the course of history. Described by one recipient as the Nobel Prize in government, the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award™ celebrates the quality that President Kennedy admired above all others. Established in 1989, the Award recognizes living public officials who have taken principled stands for the common good. We also sponsor the national John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Essay Contest, which encourages high-school students to learn and write about the political courage of a U.S. elected official. To celebrate the next generation of great public leaders, we recognize Americans under the age of 40 with the New Frontier Award™. The recipients are outstanding individuals and role models whose contributions demonstrate the value of public service in the spirit of John F. Kennedy.
Throughout the year, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum honors courage of a different kind when it hosts naturalization ceremonies for new American citizens. Many embark on this journey so their children can grow up in a democratic society. They swear their first allegiance in the Kennedy Library at ceremonies sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services.
From left: John F. Kennedy tosses his Pulitzer Prizewinning book; (inset) New American citizens celebrate at Kennedy Library; Caroline Kennedy and Senator Edward M. Kennedy present the Profile in Courage Award to U. N. Secretary General Kofi Annan; Activist Dr. Paul Farmer and actor Matt Damon discuss Haiti’s future at a Kennedy Library Forum.
“We need a grassroots effort to increase people’s appetite for information about what is going on in the world. The Kennedy Library Forums offer the public a rare opportunity to hear from — and question — the people who make and report the news.
Public Service
Public discussions like these sustain a civil society. They are what separates this country from many that I work in.” Christiane Amanpour Anchor, ABC News’ This Week; Former CNN Chief International Correspondent
Exploring Today’s Issues Provocative, engaging, and relevant, the Kennedy Library Forums — free and open to the public — invite the leaders, historians, and journalists who make and write history to share insight and opinions on topics of civic importance. Their first-hand perspectives add depth and color to the Forums, which spark public conversations around the great issues of the day.
The discussions explore subjects as wide-ranging as nuclear disarmament, ending child poverty, and poetry in America. Available via live webcast or podcast and frequently broadcast on C-SPAN and National Public Radio, the Forums host distinguished American and foreign leaders, artists, and writers such as former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, historian David McCullough, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, filmmaker Ken Burns, and novelist Joyce Carol Oates.
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The Vision.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum extends President Kennedy’s legacy of public service to every generation through the generosity of private philanthropy. With your help, we will continue to:
Inspire Future Generations Through exhibitions and education programs that use President Kennedy’s powerful words and actions to recreate pivotal moments such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the birth of the Peace Corps, we inspire youth in every generation to learn about our nation’s history and participate in its government.
Honor Public Service Young people who change their communities also change the world. The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation annually presents the New Frontier Award™ to honor exceptional young Americans whose contributions in government or public service demonstrate the spirit President Kennedy embodied.
Uphold Democracy Our archives document a defining period for our nation and illuminate the highest ideals of service and citizenship. As this priceless collection expands, we must enhance our ability to preserve it and share it more broadly with the world.
Expand Horizons The Kennedy Library Digital Archives offers universal and unfiltered access to the Kennedy Library’s major holdings. By turning digitized documents and artifacts into dynamic, interactive online experiences, we can reach young people in ways they can appreciate, promote learning, and provide global access. President Kennedy believed public service to be a noble calling. We are grateful for the support that funds the heart and soul of our work and ensures that his legacy continues to shape our world today, challenging young people to define their own path to greatness. For more information on how you can help, please call the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation’s Vice President for Development at (617) 514-1667. kenneth r. feinberg chairman, john f. kennedy library foundation
Columbia Point, Boston, Massachusetts 02125 www.jfklibrary.org Find us on