Parallel Paths: Kennedy, the Church, and Nuclear War
When John F. Kennedy won election to the presidency in 1960, many Americans wondered just how "Catholic" his Administration would be. On nuclear war, the paramount issue of the day, Kennedy, despite his careful adherence to the separation of church and state, turned out to be quite "C...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
American Catholic Historical Society
2008
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| In: |
American catholic studies
Year: 2008, Volume: 119, Issue: 1, Pages: 1-28 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | When John F. Kennedy won election to the presidency in 1960, many Americans wondered just how "Catholic" his Administration would be. On nuclear war, the paramount issue of the day, Kennedy, despite his careful adherence to the separation of church and state, turned out to be quite "Catholic." From his hawkish January 1961 inaugural address in which he vowed to "pay any price" in containing Soviet communism, to his dovish August 1963 Limited Test Ban Treaty with the Soviets, Kennedy and the hierarchy of his church traveled strikingly parallel paths in their approaches toward nuclear war. Drawing upon a variety of secondary and primary sources, including documents from the Kennedy Administration and the United States Catholic bishops' conferences, this study explores the differences as well as the similarities between the president and his church on this critical subject. It concludes that in avoiding war, seeking peace, yet never forsaking strength, Kennedy ultimately proved to be as Catholic as he was American. |
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| ISSN: | 2161-8534 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American catholic studies
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