“I am a Berliner.” With this sentence, John F. Kennedy also made history in Germany. But even more remains, as Joe Biden makes clear on the 60th anniversary of Kennedy’s death.
On the 60th anniversary of the assassination of former US President John F. Kennedy, current incumbent Joe Biden honored his legacy. The Democrat gave America “a clear direction on many of the most important issues of the 20th century – from civil rights to voting rights to equal pay for women,” said Biden. With “quiet determination,” Kennedy led “through the most dangerous moments of the Cold War,” brought the United States to the moon and inspired people to see public service as a calling.
Kennedy was shot on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. On the same day, investigators arrested the suspected shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald – just two days later, Oswald himself was shot while being transferred to a prison. This circumstance, as well as unclear evidence, contradictory statements and errors in the investigation, raised doubts about the official account that Oswald was the sole perpetrator. The first conspiracy theories soon began circulating, which continue to this day. Last year, the US government published more than 13,000 previously classified documents related to the assassination attempt.
Kennedy, who was also the first Catholic president of the USA, was only 46 years old. A few months before his death, on June 26, 1963, during a visit to divided Berlin, he said the famous sentence in front of the Schöneberg town hall: “I am a Berliner.” For his listeners in West Berlin, the speech was an important signal of solidarity less than two years after the Wall was built. The sentence, which Kennedy delivered in German, sparked cheers and went around the world.
Biden went on to say that Kennedy changed America’s self-image. “He called on us to take history into our own hands and never give up on building an America that lives up to its highest ideals.” Kennedy’s legacy should be understood as a “permanent call for each of us to do what we can for our country.”
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
