John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address Practice Flashcards

Vocabulary and key conceptual terms from John F. Kennedy's 1961 Inaugural Address.

Revolution

The overthrow of a government that is replaced by a new system.

Asunder

Divided; torn into separate pieces.

Communists

Members or allies of the Soviet Union, a state whose government was based on principles such as total government ownership of land and factories laid out by Karl Marx ($1818$-$1883$).

Invective

Negative, aggressive language that seeks to harm.

Belaboring

Focusing on something too much.

Invoke

To call on.

Beachhead

A secure starting point or foothold.

Cold War

The period in which the United States and the Soviet Union were fierce adversaries stockpiling nuclear weapons.

Alliance for Progress

A special pledge offered to sister republics south of the U.S. border to convert good words into good deeds and assist in casting off the chains of poverty.

United Nations

Described as a world assembly of sovereign states and the 'last best hope' to prevent war and protect the weak.

Dark powers of destruction unleashed by science

A reference to nuclear war that threatens to engulf all humanity.

Twilight struggle

A long, year-in and year-out effort against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.

Isaiah

The biblical prophet whose command to 'undo the heavy burdens . . . [and] let the oppressed go free' is cited as a call for global unity.

Forbears

The ancestors or previous generations who prescribed the solemn oath of office and fought for revolutionary beliefs.