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The Election Of 1960
May 18, 2020 @ 9:30 AM - 10:00 AM
The election of 1960 was one of the most dramatic elections in American history. until the halted recount in the election of 2000, it was the closest Presidential election in our lifetimes. This riveting multimedia presentation features amazing anecdotes, entry insights, and numerous fascinating film clips to help put this most momentous campaign into perspective.
Richard M. Nixon
was coming off of eight years serving as vice president to Dwight D. Eisenhower, one of the most popular Republican presidents of all time. Nixon had experience in domestic and foreign-policy and was a veteran many tough campaigns. still very young, he offered a new face for the Republican Party’s future. He became the first sitting vice president to earn his party’s nomination since John C Breckenridge exactly 100 years earlier
John F. Kennedy was only a few years younger than Nixon, whom he 
considered something of a friend. Kennedy was seen as a lightweight in the Senate, according to the Democrat’s Majority Leader, Lyndon Johnson. JFK was seen as proposing no major legislation. Significantly, Kennedy often missed long stretches of time in the Senate due to surgeries and hospitalizations. However Kennedy was a war hero, handsome, charismatic and a best-selling author. He had to defeat a number of older and better known Democrats to earn the nomination.
And then came the campaign for president! Nixon’s national reputation vs. Kennedy’s cool and charisma. With polls showing just a slight Nixon believed throughout the summer, the two men agreed to something that had never happened before: a series of presidential debates. Those debates turned the course of the election and changed politics, They demonstrated the importance of television 
in future campaigns. Throw into the mix the rest of Martin Luther King Jr., Nixon’s phlebitis, Kennedy’s mafia connections, mystery votes in Illinois and odd campaign choices by Nixon and you have the makings of a fascinating campaign!
PLEASE NOTE: This class is offered through the College Of Lake County and registration is required.