Live John F. Kennedy 1961 Inaugural Address Audio Tape Recording: "Ask Not....
Here is a rare contemporaneous audio tape recording of John Fitzgerald Kennedy's January 20, 1961 inaugural address which historians generally rank as one of the four best US presidential inaugural speeches of all time. This short, fourteen-minute inaugural address is best remembered for a single line: “My fellow Americans: Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” This call to public service resonated with what JFK called the “...new generation of Americans—born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage.” However, the bulk of the speech was actually given over to implied and overt Cold War sabre-rattling: "Now the trumpet summons us again—not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need—not as a call to battle, though embattled we are—but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation”—a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself. . . This tape was recorded live and appears to be in fine condition. It is from the estate of a local college professor who certainly kept his possessions in order. It is in a 3-M box, but was recorded on Livingston Electronics' tape. INTERESTING FACTOID: Did JFK write this speech? Almost certainly not; he had high caliber speech writers (most notably, Ted Sorenson) and it is widely thought that at least ten others had a hand in crafting this work.... But, he did DELIVER the speech and in doing so galvanized the nation.
ASK NOT WHAT YOUR COUNTRY CAN DO FOR YOU....
If Ever a Time Could Be Called "Groovy"
The 60's Would Be It!
Hippies, Beatles, Vietnam, Nixon, Turn On, Tune In, and Drop Out (not necessarily in that order), Assassinations, Moon Shots, Woodstock, and Bonanza on Color TV. Twiggy, Pop Art, Burning Bras & Draft Cards, Selma, San Francisco, Cold War, Marches, Protests, Sit-Ins, and Be-In's. Tie-Dye, Mini-Skirts, Psychedelia, Free Love, Go-Go Boots, LASER Beams, Moogs, Underground Press, Cuban Missiles, and Jackie O. The Counterculture, The Silent Majority, The Bay of Pigs, The Berlin Wall, The Great Leap Forward, The Great Society, and The Grateful Dead. The Dave Clark Five, The Six Day War, The Chicago Seven, The Olds 88, and Love Potion #9. The Weathermen, The Troubles, The Feminine Mystique, and The Prague Spring. Decolonization, I Have a Dream, Che Guevara, Cuyahoga River, Moratorium March, Black Power, Black Panthers, Grape Boycott, Stonewall, SDS, and Law and Order. Yuri Gagarin, The Pill, Astro Turf, Muscle Cars, Telstar, Manson, Dylan, and The Peace Symbol. Medicare, The Flintstones, The Mexico Olympics, and The Amazing Mets. Ken Kesey, Surfing Safari, Malcom X, Lenny Bruce, Cassius Clay, Nikita Khrushchev, and I'm just getting warmed up!
I entered College in 1965 and it doesn't get any more "Sixties" than that. As today is the era of technology and instant connection, the 60's were an era of social consciousness and mind expansion. Interestingly, when asked which era people would like to relive the 60's Summer of Love is the most popular destination. But, it's not coming back, and it doesn't have to, because it already thoroughly informs and drives the culture we live in today! So, just remember the next time you are tempted to say "Okay, Boomer..." to someone who looks old that the 60's were our gift to all you wanna-be hippies and hipsters out there! And, if you'd like some relics and artifacts from that very busy decade you will always find some right here at Portland Pandemonium's The 60's Were Groovy Shop:
https://www.ebay.com/str/portlandpandemonium/1960s-America-Boss-Radio/_i.html?store_cat=38704221017
We Will Scratch Your Vintage Itch
