The 1960 Presidential Election was extremely close–Kennedy was elected with a lead of 112,827 votes, or 0.17% of the popular vote, giving him a victory of 303 to 219 in the Electoral College, the closest since 1916.

This election was particularly contentious due to Kennedy’s Catholicism, and the allegations that rampant voter fraud may have given Kennedy the race in Illinois.

With these words, Kennedy signifies the dual nature of his victory–the country’s renewal of its commitment to democracy, and it’s decision to move forward with Kennedy under a new Democratic administration.

By invoking these words, Hannan invokes the dual nature of Kennedy’s death–both the passing of a President, and the beginning of a new chapter in American history.

The Dallas Trade Mart was the destination of President Kennedy’s motorcade in 1963 when he was assassinated in Dealey Plaza. He was scheduled to give a speech to 2,600 people at a sold-out luncheon in the Grand Courtyard.

Hannan quotes only the very end of Kennedy’s prepared remarks for the Dallas Trade Mart event, a transcript of the entire speech can be found here

JFK was the first, and so far only, Catholic President of the United States. At the time, JFK’s Catholicism was a major issue for many Americans who questioned whether Kennedy’s Roman Catholic faith would allow him to make important national decisions as president independent of the church.

On Sept. 12, 1960, as a presidential candidate Kennedy gave a major speech to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association, a group of Protestant ministers, on the issue of his religion. Kennedy addressed those concerns before a skeptical audience of Protestant clergy.

Kennedy:

I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote; where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference; and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the president who might appoint him or the people who might elect him.

I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish; where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source; where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials; and where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WdgjS5j2po

Kennedy was a notable author and orator. He had published the book ‘Profiles in Courage’ as a Senator, and would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for this work—a volume of short biographies describing acts of integrity by eight U.S. Senators throughout the Senate’s history.

Still, though Kennedy is credited as its author, there are credible allegations that most of the book was the work of JFK’s speechwriter, Theodore Sorensen.

Before speaking about John F. Kennedy, Hannan begins by acknowledging JFK’s immediate family, church officials, foreign dignitaries, royalty, government figures, and friends of the President. This has the effect of underscoring both the number of people the assassination has touched, and the outpouring of support at the funeral.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuJjaOKITn4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14Dl4ytKpq0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMdlzOqtNC4

Around the world, the funeral procession was sent abroad via satellite. Governments ordered flags to half-staff and days of mourning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYkMErQc0aQ

JFK was an international President. Due to the possibility of Nuclear War during the Cuban Missile Crisis, the entire world was paying attention to the actions of the Kennedy administration. And, with TV gaining greater popularity, people from around the world could put both an image and voice to the President of the United States.

By invoking the notion of ‘martydom’–when an individual suffers persecution or death for advocating, or refusing to renounce, a belief or cause–Chief Justice Warren ascribes almost Biblical significance to JFK’s death in much the same way Jesus was seen as a martyr for his beliefs.

Crucifixion (Corpus Hypercubus) is a 1954 oil-on-canvas painting by Salvador Dalí which depicts the Crucifixion of Jesus, though it deviates from traditional portrayals of the Crucifixion by depicting Christ on the polyhedron net of a hypercube and adding elements of Surrealism.

John F. Kennedy was the shortest-lived president, assassinated at the age of 46 years and 177 days.

Though Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest person to assume the office of the presidency at the age of 42, following William McKinley’s assassination, John F. Kennedy was the youngest president elected to office at the age of 43 years, 236 days.

Kennedy’s rise in politics began early in his life–in 1946, he ran for the House of Representatives at the age of 29 and won. He was elected three times to the House and two times to the U.S. Senate before becoming President in 1961.