JFK's New Frontier: Vision for America & Beyond

American Camelot: The Kennedy Years (1960-1963)

The New Frontier Vision

On the occasion of his nomination at the 1960 Democratic Convention in Los Angeles, JFK delivered his famous:

JFK's "New Frontier" Speech

“[…] I stand here tonight facing west on what was once the last frontier. From the lands that stretch three thousand miles behind us, the pioneers gave up their safety, their comfort and sometimes their lives to build our new West. […] Some would say that those struggles are all over, that all the horizons have been explored, that all the battles have been won, that there is no longer an American frontier. But I trust that no one in this assemblage would agree with that sentiment; for the problems are not all solved and the battles are not all won; and we stand today on the edge of a New Frontier... the frontier of unfilled hopes and unfilled threats […] The New Frontier is here whether we seek it or not. […]

Beyond that frontier are uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered problems of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and surplus. It would be easier to shrink from that new frontier, to look to the safe mediocrity of the past, to be lulled by good intentions and high rhetoric […] That is the choice our nation must make … a choice that lies between the public interest and private comfort, between national greatness and national decline, between the fresh air of progress and the stale, dank atmosphere of "normalcy," between dedication or mediocrity. […]

JFK delivered this speech with a vision extending beyond the United States, addressing the world at large. Kennedy was not referring to a physical frontier, but rather to a social and intellectual one. He appealed to the American imagination, naming his ambitious vision the "New Frontier."

Key Aspects of the New Frontier

• Domestic Policy & Social Progress: At home, the "New Frontier" addressed issues like poverty and inequality, particularly for Americans who had not yet achieved suburban prosperity. Kennedy aimed to expand opportunities and bring peace and security to American households, impacting both urban slums and emerging suburbs.
• The Space Race: The "New Frontier" also encompassed the ambitious goal of space exploration. It fueled the intense competition between the United States and the Soviet Union to achieve supremacy in space. The U.S. committed significant resources to this endeavor, aiming to be the first.