Arthur Schlessinger. I also searched databases of professional journals such as EBSCO Host and ProQuest in order to acquire a number of articles pertinent to a greater understanding of the Kennedy ôsuccessö. In addition to this research, I utilized the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum online Web site to acquire detailed bibliographic information on the Kennedy family.
From the New Frontier unveiled by President Kennedy to the myth of Camelot that surrounding his administration, the Kennedys continue to intrigue and fascinate the American public. The ôNew Frontierö promised hope for the future for all Americans, with the Kennedys living out the promised American Dream in their attempt to provide a new frontier without tyranny, racism, and poverty. As Carroll (1991) writes of the New Frontier in the New Republic, ôTo call it a myth is not to say that the story of the New Frontier is untrue, of course, but to say it is a story, a product of our common imaginationö (23). This research will explore the success underlying this appeal to our collective imagination.
CHAPTER ONE û Social and Material Success
Patrick Joseph Kennedy and his wife Mary Augusta, gave birth to Patrick Joseph Kennedy, Jr., the father of John, Robert and Ted, on September 6, 1888. By that time Patrick Joseph Sr. was a successful saloon keep, but Boston, particularly elite Boston, was highly prejudiced against Irish Catholics. At MaryÆs insistence, Patrick Joseph Kennedy changed his name to Joseph Patrick Kennedy to avoid ostracism based on ethnicity. A hardworking, Harvard educated young man with a sense for business, Joseph Patrick Kennedy married Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy in 1913. Locating in Brookline, Massachusetts, the couple would give birth to four boys and five girls, one named John Fitzgerald Kennedy (See Photo I). Known as ôJackö, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was named after RoseÆs father, John Francis Fitzgerald, known as ôHoney Fitz...