John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address - HISTORY

John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the 35th president of the United States on the steps of the Capitol in Washington, D.C. in 1961.

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Excerpts from John F. Kennedy's inaugural address on Friday, January 20, 1961.

As only the second Catholic to run for presidential office in a majority Protestant nation, John F. Kennedy was confronted with the issue of his religion throughout his campaign. In order to defuse concerns that his religious views would interfere with his ability as chief executive, he delivers a speech on September 12, 1960, to the Greater Houston Ministerial Association stressing the importance of the separation of church and state.

President Kennedy is forced to improvise a stump speech in Tennessee, after discovering that his speech didn't make the trip.

In an address at Rice University on September 12, 1962, President John F. Kennedy rallies support for the race to space by telling his fellow Americans that the reason we endeavor to go to the moon is "not because it is easy, but because it is hard."

In a speech delivered in Berlin on June 26, 1963, President John F. Kennedy expresses his hopes for the reunification of Germany and shows solidarity with the crowd when he says, "I take pride in the words: Ich bin ein Berliner."

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