In 1960, the two major political parties, the Republican and Democratic Party had different policies in which they promised the citizens of the United States a better society. During the presidential election of 1960, held on 8th November, John F. Kennedy, a Democrat defeated Richard M. Nixon narrowly (Rorabaugh, 2009). The platform of the two major political parties was mainly based and influenced by the decisiveness of safety and tranquility at the time in the history of the United States. Each party wanted to display its authority as well as its ability through the presidential candidates since the United States was engaged in a Cold War with the Soviet Union (Sundquist, 2010). Additionally, the Soviet Union had already taken a lead in the race of space when it launched the Sputnik satellite. As such, the platform of the parties heavily focused on the war as well as the domestic struggles in the United States.
The Platform of the Parties
Policies established by each of the major political parties were in response to the challenges that faced the country. At the time of the presidential elections in 1960, the United States was threatened by the rise of the revolutionary regime of Fidel Castro in Cuba which also heightened the fears of the spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere (Sundquist, 2010). Additionally, there was increased struggle for the civil rights on the domestic front as well as desegregation which had highly divided the nation. Richard Nixon was a seasoned lawmaker and serving as the vice president of the country at the time (Krehbiel, 2010). On the other hand, John F. Kennedy was a young dynamic senator who had only served one term and was disadvantaged by virtue of being Catholic. While both sides exhibited strengths and weaknesses, their individual platforms constituted promising the citizens of the United States a better society.
The Republican Party, being represented by Nixon had strong foreign policies in which people were promised a peaceful nation with a robust relationship with its allies (Rabe, 2014). For instance, the party emphasized maintaining peace and security in the Western Hemisphere by promising people that it would continue to improve upon the programs that had been established by the administration of Eisenhower (Rorabaugh, 2009). The platform of the party also affirmed that it would support the integrity as well as the independence of the Middle East countries with an emphasis on Israel and Arab countries. Additionally, the party also promised to eliminate the obstacles of peace in the area in addition to recognizing the admission of Communist China in the United Nations (UN). Moreover, the party assured people it would continue with the support of the UN as an instrument of peace in which it alleged to settle international disputes around the globe (Rorabaugh, 2009). The party also reaffirmed that it would assist other nations to achieve independence as well as the freedom to live and worship as they wish.
In matters of foreign policy, the Democratic Party platform emphasized the creation of programs and representatives for better representation of American abroad (Rorabaugh, 2009). Additionally, the party pledged to the underdeveloped world to offer its assistance as well as respect and understanding through foreign assistance programs. The party had policies that touched the Atlantic Community through partnership. To the Communist world, it promised its acceptance to the challenge of competition in all fields but without the sacrifice of the American principle (Sundquist, 2010). The platform also addressed the spread of communism in Latin America and had policies of offering assistance in the region. The party also promised to strengthen its commitment to all the members of the UN by working for discernment in the form of uniting the nations of the world.
Nevertheless, the Democratic Party was concerned with policies that affected the domestic front such as the National policy machinery for the benefit of the American citizens (Krehbiel, 2010). It was also characterized by policies that assured people of the ability of the administration to make the nation better by doing more for the people as well as continuing with the legacy of Thomas Jefferson who campaigned for the principle of “The Right of Man” (Rabe, 2014). The party platform emphasized that it would continue with the responsibility of providing an effective instrument of political action for the Americans who seek to strengthen their rights. As such, the platforms of both parties were characterized by the formation of a stance that assured the American citizens of a better society in the future.
The policies formed by the major political parties faced many challenges because of the disadvantages that each presidential candidate had. For instance, the Democratic administration promised the citizens of a better civil defense in which all the groups in the nation would be protected (Sundquist, 2010). Additionally, arms control was a big issue that was being faced by the nation and the Democratic platform promised the country improved peace by developing responsible proposals that would break the deadlock which inhibited amity. The policy of immigration was a significant issue of the Democratic Party where it promised the revision of immigration as well as national laws to promote their belief in the rights of man.
In its platform, the Democratic Party emphasized the creation of a better image for the Americans by ensuring effective representation of all people in the country (Rabe, 2014). Additionally, the platform also assured people of the oneness in goals as well as the support of different cultures in schools where education would grant students the power to be fully equipped citizens in all aspects. The Republican Party, on the other hand, assured the citizens of national defense in which individual freedom would be installed regardless of the counter drive of international communism (Krehbiel, 2010). While both platforms assured people of a better society through their policies, they depicted a lot of differences as each tried to inform the citizens of the United States of its ability to make the country a better place.
The two major political parties had divergent ideologies on how to improve the condition of the United States in response to the challenges the nation faced at the time. Even so, most of the policies, both foreign and domestic had the same goals but with a different tactic. The approach employed by either party for each of their policies was distinct, albeit their goals uniformly focused on making the United States a better place. Nevertheless, the Republican Party focused more on the foreign policy by creating a platform that aimed at improving the image of the United States to the world (Rabe, 2014). On the other hand, the Democratic Party focused on the domestic front issues which affected the citizens directly such as employment, immigration, inflation, and health.
Conclusion
During the presidential election of John F. Kennedy in the United States, the country was undergoing various challenges such as the nuclear threat, the cold war with the Soviet Union as well as the spread of communism in the Western Hemisphere. Nonetheless, the platforms of the major political parties contained policies that fought to ensure the safety as well as improvement of the image of the United States despite the challenges. John F. Kennedy won the presidency narrowly against Nixon and promised to keep the United States safe and ahead of the Soviet Union in matters of Space Race as well as the Cold War. Although Nixon had served as the vice president of the country for eight years, his party platform failed to attract the majority’s appeal and John F. Kennedy emerged victorious despite the fact that he was a Roman Catholic and had no experience with regards to foreign policy.
References
Krehbiel, K. (2010). Pivotal politics: A theory of US lawmaking. University of Chicago Press.
Rabe, S. G. (2014). The most dangerous area in the world: John F. Kennedy confronts communist revolution in Latin America. UNC Press Books.
Rorabaugh, W. J. (2009). The real making of the president: Kennedy, Nixon, and the 1960 election. American Presidential Election.
Sundquist, J. (2010). Politics and policy: the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson years. Brookings Institution Press.
