Lesson
Thirteen Days: John F. Kennedy, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Purpose
How did President John F. Kennedy achieve his purpose of protecting the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis?
Founding Principles
Virtues
Guiding questions
Walk-In-The-Shoes Questions
As you read, imagine you are the protagonist.
- What challenges are you facing?
- What fears or concerns might you have?
- What may prevent you from acting in the way you ought?
Observation Questions
- What was President Kennedy’s role in the Cuban Missile Crisis?
- What was Kennedy’s purpose?
- What decision did Kennedy make in the Cuban Missile Crisis? Why? Do you believe it was the right decisions? Why or why not?
- How did President Kennedy’s purposeful decision in the Cuban Missile Crisis help protect freedom?
Discussion Questions
Discuss the following questions with your students.
- What is the historical context of the narrative?
- What historical circumstances presented a challenge to the protagonist?
- How and why did the individual exhibit a moral and/or civic virtue in facing and overcoming the challenge?
- How did the exercise of the virtue benefit civil society?
- How might exercise of the virtue benefit the protagonist?
- What might the exercise of the virtue cost the protagonist?
- Would you react the same under similar circumstances? Why or why not?
- How can you act similarly in your own life? What obstacles must you overcome in order to do so?
Learning objectives
- Students will analyze President Kennedy’s purposeful decisions during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
- Students will apply their knowledge of purpose to their own lives.
