Video
Creator: Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)
Description: This video shows excerpts from the first presidential debate in U.S. history to be aired on television, between John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon.
Date: September 26, 1960
Context and Things to Consider
- Many Americans who watched the debate on television believed that Kennedy had won, while those who listened to the debate on the radio generally considered the debate a tie or thought that Nixon had won. Think about how the form of television changed the way that politicians appeared to voters.
- Pay attention to Nixon and Kennedy's body language and facial expressions. Who appears most confident and well-at-ease? How might Kennedy's and Nixon's physical characteristics have played a different part in a televised debate compared to a radio debate?
- Television broadcasts allowed presidential candidates to appear side-by-side and debate each other on specific policies in real time. Consider how this would have affected the people's ability to compare candidates and make decisions about who to vote for.
Kennedy-Nixon debate [:52]
TRANSCRIPT: Here are some revealing excerpts from the great debate. The subject under discussion was recent Democratic legislation. "The reason why these particular bills in these various fields have been mentioned, were not passed, was not because the president was against them. It was because the people were against them. It was because they were too extreme." "Well, now let's look at these bills that the vice president suggests were too extreme. One was a bill for $1.25 an hour for anyone who works in a store or a company that is a million dollars a year business. I don't think that's extreme at all. Secondly, with the federal aid to education bill, it was not an extreme bill. And yet we could not get one Republican to join. The third as medical care for the aged, which is tied to social security, which is financed out of social security funds. I think it shows the difference between the two parties. One party is ready to move on these programs, the other party gives them lip service.