John F. Kennedy Remembered

Last month marked the 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy's famous inaugural address. On January 20, 1961, Chief Justice Earl Warren administered the oath of office to John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States.

Perhaps the most famous and most remembered quote from the inaugural address was, "Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country." Some believe he adapted this line directly from the The New Frontier, a book of the Lebanese Poet Khalil Gibran, while others believe it was adapted from the credo of a school he attended in his youth.

The speech was drafted by Kennedy speech writer, Ted Sorenson, and draws heavily from Lincoln's Gettysburg address. The address is 1364 words and took 13 minutes and 59 seconds to deliver, from the first word to the last word, not including applause at the end, making it the fourth-shortest inaugural address ever delivered. It is widely considered to be among the best presidential inauguration speeches in American history.

• "...the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God."
  
  
• "Let the word go forth... that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans."
  
  
• "Let every nation know... that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
  
  
• "The world is very very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life."
  
  
• "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate."
  
  
• "All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1,000 days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin."
  
  
• "...let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our own."
  
  
• "For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed."

ProQuest has created a BookCart learning activity for students to learn more about the notable Presidency and life of John F. Kennedy—"President John F. Kennedy."

BookCart learning activities offer a one-stop solution for teachers and students in conducting 21st Century inquiry-based learning activities. Great editor-selected resources, plus essential questions for critical thinking, along with clear student direction ensure that no time is wasted and students have everything they need to maximize learning.

The learning activity for this month is just one of hundreds of BookCart models (PDF) that teachers and librarians can copy into their local collection and use right away.

Here's how to do it:

• Logon to the eLibrary TEACHER EDITION.
• Click the BOOKCART ADMIN tab at the top of the Teacher Edition.
• Click the PROQUEST CARTS tab.
• Type "President John F. Kennedy" in the SEARCH box
• Click the COPY icon (middle one) in the ACTIONS column to the right of this title.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

Librarians or teachers can edit this BookCart to customize it for their students. To edit this BookCart:

• Click the new BookCart TITLE (it will have the prefix "COPY OF".
• Delete "Copy of" and then type your name in the AUTHOR boxes and your initials in the EMAIL box (required info).
• Option: Edit any ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS for your students in the DESCRIPTION box.
• Option: Edit the existing STUDENT DIRECTIONS in the Description box to customize for your students.
• Scroll down and click SAVE.
• Click RETURN TO MY LOCAL CARTS.

Assign students to write a report of at least 150 words or a presentation of at least seven slides. The report should cite at least three resources and address the following essential questions for critical thinking (you can add or substitute others):

• How did the background and experiences of JFK prepare him for the Presidency?
  
  
• What were the major accomplishments of the JFK Presidency?
  
  
• Why do historians credit JFK with being among the best presidents in history?
  
  
• What motives played a part in the assassination of JFK?

Select the ADVANCED SEARCH option > Enter "John F. Kennedy" in the SEARCH box > Type "Kennedy OR President OR JFK" in the DOCUMENT TITLE box

Your students can use our custom ProQuest models for written and PowerPoint-style reports.

Teachers may be interested in a ProQuest flexible rubrics model for evaluating inquiry-based learning activities.

Educators may also wish to employ the Quizinator Web tool (free, but registration required) for creating a variety of printed resources, including short assessments.