Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties

by William J. Rorabaugh

W.J. Rorabaugh offers a social history of the early 1960s through the lens of John F. Kennedy's presidential career. JFK, writes Rorabaugh, "was both a unique figure and a true representative of his times." He governed during the bleakest years of the Cold War, which coincided with the emergence of the civil rights movement, the rise of feminist ambition, and, through the Beats, the invention of postmodernism. The myth of Camelot has led many Americans to believe that these were a final few idyllic years before the disastrous arrival of political assassinations, urban riots, and failure in Vietnam, but Rorabaugh shows how these explosive developments all had roots in social commotion taking place less visibly under Kennedy's watch. Americans may have been "hooked on hope" during these years, Rorabaugh writes, but they were also setting themselves up for a hard fall: "A general mood of optimism is necessary to launch any period of reform, but the prevalence to that very mood causes reformers to push for changes that go well beyond the society's capacity for change in a short period of time." It is impossible to understand modern America without understanding what happened during this period, and Kennedy and the Promise of the Sixties is an excellent introduction to it. --John J. Miller

317 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2002

About the author

Professor at the University of Washington.

Reviews

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and informative study of America in the Sixties and the influence of Kennedy as President and after his assassination - 7/10.

[Erica · Rating 2 out of 5]

While written smartly enough, and offering a tolerable introduction to the major issues, themes, and events of the early 1960s, this book doesn't carry much weight for anyone with even moderate knowledge of the period. It comes across with a degree of self-importance which, I suppose, is fine if you're reading it as a cursory overview as to the feel of the early sixties. Though it's good to be critical of even the most revered politicians from time to time, I found myself wanting to know more, to have more supporting evidence, to see a more detailed explanation and analysis behind the criticism. Maybe it's the history buff in me, but, on the whole, I was expecting a lot more.

[Don Incognito · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an assigned text in my fall 2005 Post-WWII America course. It was somewhat useful, but felt like a pop history. Not particularly academic.