1961 inauguration of John F. Kennedy?

Answer 1

Kennedy delivered his first and only inaugural address at 12:51 (ET) Friday, January 20, 1961, immediately after taking the presidential oath of office.

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.

Notable passages

• "...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, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty."
• "The world is 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."
• "And so my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country"
• "For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed."
• "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."

Answer 2

Because on May 19, 1961, thugs broke into the White House and stole valuable information about the government. Two 26-year old secretaries, their names were Eric and Ben, tried to stop them. The thugs had brought equipment along including Duct Tape and rope and tied up the secretaries, and then gagged them. The men awaited help in a closet for 11 hours, until First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy heard muffled cries coming from a closet. She opened the closet and untied the men. John F. Kennedy made this speech to prevent this from occurring again.