The Kennedys: America's Emerald KingsBasic Books, 2003 M10 15 - 676 pages Meticulously researched both here and abroad, THE KENNEDYS examines the Kennedy's as exemplars of the Irish Catholic experience. Beginning with Patrick Kennedy's arrival in the Brahmin world of Boston in 1848, Maier delves into the deeper currents of the often spectacular Kennedy story, and the ways in which their immigrant background shaped their values-and in turn twentieth-century America-for over five generations. As the first and only Roman Catholic ever elected to high national office in this country, JFK's pioneering campaign for president rested on a tradition of navigating a cultural divide that began when Joseph Kennedy shed the brogues of the old country in order to get ahead on Wall Street. Whether studied exercise in cultural self-denial or sheer pragmatism, their movements mirror that of countless of other, albeit less storied, American families. But as much as the Kennedys distanced themselves from their religion and ethnic heritage on the public stage, Maier shows how Irish Catholicism informed many of their most well-known political decisions and stances. From their support of civil rights, to Joe Kennedy's tight relationship with Pope Pius XII and FDR, the impact of their personal family history on the national scene is without question-and makes for an immensely compelling narrative. Bringing together extensive new research in both Ireland and the United States, several exclusive interviews, as well as his own perspective as an Irish-American, Maier's original approach to the Kennedy era brilliantly illustrates the defining role of the immigrant experience for the country's foremost political dynasty. |
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Contents
The Boys of Wexford | 3 |
Heirs of Brian Boru | 10 |
The Starvation | 18 |
American Wake | 24 |
Brahmins and Bigotry | 35 |
The Long Climb to Acceptance | 51 |
The Family Enterprise | 67 |
Hard Lessons | 78 |
Primary Lessons | 313 |
West Virginia | 326 |
The Fall 1960 | 339 |
The Rites of Power | 359 |
A Catholic in the White House | 361 |
Holy Wars | 374 |
Conversion and Subversion | 386 |
The Two Johns | 394 |
The Family Faith | 93 |
Happy Warriors | 95 |
An Irishman in the Court of St James | 113 |
The Vatican GoBetween | 123 |
Tortured Souls | 139 |
Hero Worship | 160 |
Blood Brothers | 173 |
A Lighter Shade of Green | 191 |
Eire | 214 |
Rise to the Presidency | 233 |
The Irish Brahmin | 235 |
A Child of Fate | 249 |
Articles of Faith | 266 |
A Nation of Immigrants | 277 |
Matters of Church and State | 292 |
A Friend in Rome | 298 |
Doing the Right Thing | 409 |
In the Springtime | 428 |
The Ritual of Mourning | 444 |
The Emerald Thread | 465 |
A Living Wound | 467 |
The Awful Grace of God | 485 |
The Politics of Outsiders | 499 |
The Ghosts of Camelot | 519 |
Last Hurrahs | 535 |
A Matter of Faith | 550 |
Looking Backward and Forward | 561 |
Legacies | 589 |
A Note on Sources | 603 |
Selected Bibliography | 637 |
About the Author | 655 |
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Common terms and phrases
ambassador anti-Catholic asked became bigotry Billy Bobby Kennedy Bobby's Boston Brahmins British brother Camelot campaign candidate Cardinal Cushing Cardinal Spellman Catholic Church Catholicism civil rights cousin daughter death Democratic Dunganstown election ethnic faith family's father Fitzgerald Galeazzi Harvard Honey Fitz Irish Catholic Irish-Americans issue Jack Kennedy Jack's Jackie James Jean Jean Kennedy Smith JFK's Joe Jr Joe Kennedy Joe's John F Joseph JPK papers Kathleen Kennedy Townsend Kennedy family Kennedy's Kick Kick's knew later leader letter lives magazine married Massachusetts McCarthy McSorley Morrissey mother nation never Northern Ireland O'Connell P. J. Kennedy Pacelli Patrick Kennedy political politicians Pope priest Protestant recalled religion religious Republican Robert Kennedy Roman Catholic Rome Roosevelt Rose Ryan seemed Senate Smith Sorensen speech Ted Kennedy tion told trip Valera Vatican Vietnam vote Washington Wexford White House wrote York young