JFK's Speechwriter: Obama's Address Will Be 'One Of The Greatest'
The inaugural speech of President Kennedy in 1961. Click any image to enlarge it.
BOSTON —
Almost half-a-century after President John F. Kennedy delivered his enduring inauguration speech, Americans are waiting for what could be the next great presidential oration, this time from Barack Obama.
Careful thought goes into every word of an inaugural address, as a new exhibit at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum makes evident. The display contains original documents, including a handwritten draft of the speech and notes from Kennedy’s confidant and speechwriter, Ted Sorensen.
We spoke with Ted Sorensen about the drafting of Kennedy’s 1961 speech.
President Kennedy and Special Counsel Theodore C. Sorensen on March 12, 1963. (Photo courtesy of Robert Knudsen, White House/John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library)
WBUR Topics
- Beacon Hill »
- Mass. Senate Passes School Nutrition Bill
- Mass. Senate Passes Anti-Bullying Legislation
- Mass. Senate Approves Lawrence Recovery Plan
- Commentary »
- Littlefield: Finally, Soccer Has Major-League Problems
- Is Curling A Sport? (Who Cares?)
- Many Winter Olympians Already Have The Gold
- Crime & Justice »
- Mass. Court Upholds State Gun-Lock Requirement
- Boeri: Bishop Story Has More Holes Than A Sieve
- 4 Police Reports Mention Bishop Family ‘Spat’ Before ‘86 Shooting (Interactive)
- Energy »
- Everett Settles In With Its Big, New Neighbor In The Harbor
- Salazar’s Cape Wind Decision Is Difficult, For A Consensus Builder
- Patrick Calls For Plymouth Nuclear Plant Investigation After Vermont Leak
- Environment »
- Fishermen Gather For Summit On Industry’s Fate
- Everett Settles In With Its Big, New Neighbor In The Harbor
- Scientists Say Potential For Red Tide Outbreak Is High
- Ethics »
- Review: Mass. House Spending On DiMasi Case ‘Fair’
- Galluccio Resigns From Senate After Being Jailed
- After Sentencing, Fate Of Galluccio’s Senate Seat Remains Unknown
- Religion »
- As Construction Alters Closed Church, Jamaica Plain Builds Its Community
- Listen: Talk Of Renewal, But Few Decisions In Pope’s Irish Clergy Summit
- Irish Catholics Call For Cardinal Law’s Resignation, Following Clergy Abuse Report
- Sprint To The Senate »
- How He Did It: Behind The Scott Brown Win
- Scott Brown, The New Hero Of The GOP
- Tea Party Credited With Giving Brown A Winning Boost
- H1N1 Swine Flu »
- FAQ: Swine Flu Vaccine Availability
- Mass. Lifts Swine Flu Vaccine Restrictions
- Study: Swine Flu Is Relatively Mild Virus After All
Most Popular
- Senate To Take Up Unemployment Insurance Extension
- Stomach Virus Is Surging In Boston
- Hanks, Spielberg Strike Out For 'The Pacific'
- Why We Gain Weight As We Age
- Listen: Mass. Women Uniquely Affected By Recession, Study Says
- Former Shortstop Garciaparra Signs With Sox To Retire
- Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls
- 'Whip Smart': Memoirs Of A Dominatrix
- The Teen Brain: It's Just Not Grown Up Yet
- Students 'Stand And Deliver' For Former Teacher
- Stomach Virus Is Surging In Boston
- Letters To Haiti Provide A Different Kind Of Help
- The Teen Brain: It's Just Not Grown Up Yet
- Former Shortstop Garciaparra Signs With Sox To Retire
- Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls
- Listen: Mass. Women Uniquely Affected By Recession, Study Says
- Good Teaching Is About Hard Work, Not A Halo
- Study: Single Parents In Mass. Don’t Earn Enough
- Haitian Poet Feels The ‘Afterworld’ In His Native Land
- Protecting Companies That Mix Profitability, Values
- A Professor's Diatribe ... Set To Music
- 'Whip Smart': Memoirs Of A Dominatrix
- Female WWII Pilots: The Original Fly Girls
- After Financial Ruin, Plotting America's 'Comeback'
- The Teen Brain: It's Just Not Grown Up Yet
- Listen: Mass. Women Uniquely Affected By Recession, Study Says
- Listen: ‘Generous’ For Sox To Take Back Garciaparra, Shaughnessy Says
- Why We Gain Weight As We Age
- Anyone Remember What's In The Health Care Bill?
- Patty Larkin: 25 Songs, 25 Friends, 25 Years
-
Challenges and Opportunities
March 11, 2010
At Boston University School of Education -
Erasmus Lectures: Rob Zuidam, Dutch composer
March 11, 2010
At Paine Hall at Harvard University -
Calling All Educators: Julie Hahnke presents curriculum for The Grey Ghost
March 11, 2010
At Cornerstone Books -
The Plausibility of Life: Resolving Darwin's Dilemma
March 11, 2010
At Harvard Museum of Natural History
listening to this speach brings an american back to earth. seeing how politics is being manipulated by the politicians and the press.
he spoke so clearly in this speach.. and over 40 years later.. they say alot … and nothing all in the same breath… first year i didnt vote for president.. cant even trust the press anymore.. jfk had his heart in the right place.. those days are long gone.and how would he feel about politics now?