Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Semester of Degree Completion
1999
Thesis Director
Mark J. White
Abstract
This thesis is an examination of the Kennedy election campaign. It is a narrative and also a brief examination of how this campaign was put together and how the Kennedy campaign staff was formed. The main perspective that it takes is from the vantage point of the Cold War which serves as driving force behind the main issues of the campaign. It is the primary argument of this thesis that the Kennedy campaign marked a period of transition whereby America began to formulate a coherent ideological position for itself as leader of the free world and come into its own as a super power with a strong and dynamic vision for the future of mankind. Kennedy through the campaign began to symbolize this new active vision of the United States as the main shaper of world affairs. Within the context of the Cold War, the New Frontier that Kennedy proposed was the consolidation of the emerging consumer culture that had been growing into a dominant force in American culture into a broader ideological and idealistic vision of modern America that has proved a lasting impact on American society.
Recommended Citation
Wuthrich, Bryan, "The New Frontier: The Presidential Election Campaign of JFK" (1999). Masters Theses. 1668.
https://thekeep.eiu.edu/theses/1668
