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The book, authored by John F. Kennedy with Ted Sorensen as a ghostwriter, profiles senators who defied the opinions of their party and constituents to do what they felt was right and suffered severe criticism and losses in popularity as a result.
- John F. Kennedy, Ted Sorensen
- 1956
Nov 7, 2003 · Kennedy made no secret of Sorensen’s involvement in Profiles, crediting him in the preface as “my research associate,” and likewise acknowledged the contributions of Davids and others. But he insisted that he was the book’s author and bristled even at teasing suggestions to the contrary.
- Defining Political Courage
- Popular Quotations and Excerpts
- Chapter Summaries
In the preface to Profiles in Courage, Senator Kennedy discusses the “problems of political courage in the face of constituent pressures, and the light shed on those problems by the lives of past statesmen.’’ He describes the three types of pressure faced by senators as: 1. pressure to be liked 2. pressure to be re-elected, and 3. pressure of the c...
Other often quoted excerpts from President Kennedy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book include: “The true democracy, living and growing and inspiring, puts its faith in the people – faith that the people will not simply elect men who will represent their views ably and faithfully, but also elect men who will exercise their conscientious judgment – faith ...
Chapter II. John Quincy Adams
John Quincy Adams came to the Senate as a Massachusetts Federalist in 1803. He quickly broke with his party, however, when he was the sole Federalist to vote in favor of the Louisiana Purchase. Adams continued voting against his party, but it was not until 1807 that the final split between Adams and the Federalists occurred. That year, Thomas Jefferson called upon Congress to enact an embargo against Great Britain to shut off international trade to retaliate against British aggression towards...
Chapter III. Daniel Webster
Daniel Webster was a Massachusetts Senator (Whig) and one of the most distinguished members in Senate history. His trial by fire began in 1850 when he agreed to help Henry Clay of Kentucky push through a compromise bill that would keep the Union together. Webster’s famous “Seventh of March” speech in favor of Clay’s compromise bill asserted that slaveholders were entitled to property rights, that fugitive slave laws should be strengthened, and that the issue of slavery should be put aside in...
Chapter IV. Thomas Hart Benton
Thomas Hart Benton, Senator from Missouri, was included in the book primarily for his actions in 1847-1849 against John C. Calhoun's resolutions to keep Congress from interfering with the introduction of slavery in new territories. Although Missouri was a slave-owning state, and Benton himself owned slaves, he was deeply opposed to the introduction of slavery into new territories. Benton was concerned that the issue was being exploited by Southern and Northern partisans and would be a barrier...
In light of these turbulent forces, why was Kennedy compelled to write Profiles in Courage, and why did he include the individuals he did? As a young senator, he was certainly aware of the ...
Profiles in Courage articulates and argues for the significance of the idea of "political courage" in American political history. Through four parts, the author, President John F. Kennedy argues that the preeminent value of a senator is "political courage," which he defines from drawing from the lives of eight former American senators.
In a discussion of courage in American politics, Kennedy profiles eight United States senators who upheld the public interest at great cost to their popularity, reputations, and careers.
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Why did John Kennedy write 'Profiles in Courage'?
Profiles in Courage resonated with the tensions and uncertainties of the Cold War, retelling American history in a way that addressed anxieties about manly courage and national union in a moment of terrifying global challenges. The book also helped establish Kennedy's potential as a national leader by furthering the
