John Kennedy is inaugurated as president, January 20th, 1961
After taking the oath of office, Kennedy, the youngest president ever elected, stands at the podium bearing the presidential seal. His listeners long for some words that will heal a nation divided by McCarthyism, terrified of the cold war, and struggling with racial segregation and discrimination. His words resonate like a psalm. “Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans. . . . Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”