The Election of 1960 was a close race between Democratic senator from Massachusetts, John Kennedy and the Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Both candidates had similar stances on issues but John Kennedy was better prepared for the new source of media, the television. During a televised debate on September 26, 1960 about 70 million Americans watched the two candidates duke it out on the big screen. Kennedy was only 43 years old and Nixon hoped to use his knowledge on foreign policy to make Kennedy look bad, but Kennedy was coached prior to the debate by television producers. Kennedy learned how to look at ease and confident and also spoke better than Nixon. Another event that put Kennedy over the top of Nixon was that Kennedy was his stance on civil rights. When Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested and sentenced to several months of hard labor, Kennedy used his influence to get MLK released on bail, pending appeal. This gained support of the African American community. After the votes were counted, Kennedy had won by more than just 100,000 votes.
The Camelot Years were the years of Kennedy's presidency. His family, with his beautiful wife Jacqueline and their cute children, represented the ideal American family. Many Americans began to copy the trends of the family living in the White House. Women looked to Jacqueline for fashion advice while a great deal of other Americans had hopes of becoming a speed reader like Kennedy. Kennedy could read 1600 words per minute which is quite amazing and must have helped him out as president. In addition, Kennedy surrounded himself by the "best and brightest" people to help him out as president. One of these people was his brother, Robert Kennedy who was appointed attorney general. His inauguration included many skilled writers, artists, and scientists which was a humble prelude to the beginnings of the Camelot Years.
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