American Experience: The Kennedys
PBS Documentary Traces the Roots and Ambitions of the Family
May 12, 2009
Rose and Joe Kennedy
In the beginning there was a young daughter of Boston’s mayor. Rose Fitzgerald met and married businessman Joseph Kennedy and they started what was to be a family of nine children. Joe’s ambitions for himself were cut short when he was the United States Ambassador to Great Britain. During World War II he lobbied President Roosevelt for America to stay out of the conflict. That position, along with his own political ambitions, was his downfall.
All his hopes and dreams for the first Catholic President were placed on his oldest son, Joe, Jr. During the war, his second son, Jack, became a hero by rescuing his men and keeping them alive on a South Sea island. Joe, Jr. felt the need to make a mark on the war effort himself, so he volunteered for a dangerous mission. He was killed during that mission and the family then turned to Jack to make the family’s mark.
John, Robert, and Edward
Jack, a.k.a. John, became a Congressman then a Senator. He married Jacqueline Bouvier and they soon moved into the White House after the 1960 Presidential election.
Robert Kennedy was placed in the position of Attorney General, and later on youngest brother Teddy, a.k.a. Edward, ran and won Jack’s old Senate seat. For a brief time there were three Kennedys working in Washington, D.C.
Besides the historical events, the documentary impresses on viewers the family loyalty shared by members of this clan, as well as their deep ambitions, wealth, and privileged upbringing. The close-knit family has only split once when it comes to putting forth a united front and that was in 2008 when some members supported Hillary Clinton and others supported Barack Obama.
The Cuban Missile Crisis
The documentary delves into the many issues that faced the country and the family over the decades. The Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 was an incident that could have turned out to be the end of the world. But cool heads prevailed, averting a nuclear catastrophe. Robert Kennedy, Jr. said his family could have retreated to a safe location but his father didn’t want them to, claiming that if there were a nuclear exchange, none of them would want to be alive afterward.
Family Tragedies
Tragedy struck the family more than once. The assassinations of JFK and RFK are the main incidents that come to mind. But the plane crash that nearly took Edward’s life could have derailed his career had his wife Joan not taken up the challenge and campaigned for her husband, thereby winning his Senate seat.
Then a year after RFK was assassinated, Edward again suffered another tragedy when he drove his car off a bridge. The passenger in the car was killed. Kennedy’s delay in alerting the authorities was challenged, and was most likely the reason his 1980 Presidential ambitions were dashed.
This documentary is filled with background on the members of the family and the history of the United States. It is a concise yet complete look at the famous family and their mark on the country.
American Experience is a popular PBS history series which has garnered several awards and has brought many interesting subjects to the viewers. The series airs Monday nights. “The Kennedys” airs May 18, 2009.
