The Virtues of Courage

Courage is an admirable personality trait for an individual to possess. It requires self- sacrifice, often at great risk to the individual. Standing on principle, rather than taking the easy way out, can result in the end of friendships; the loss of reputation; and it can even cause others to label the principled person as an outcast or a traitor.

John F. Kennedy wrote "Profiles in Courage" in 1956, when he was a young senator from Massachusetts. Kennedy considered courage to be the greatest of all human virtues. He greatly admired an individual who, under tremendous pressure to accept the status quo and go along with others, chose instead to stand for principle in the face of adversity, even if it meant destroying their own personal reputation and livelihood.

Basic Contents:

Based on his experience in the Senate, Kennedy grew to admire the courageous acts of politicians who stood up against the popular sentiments of the day, and often against their own political party, in order to do what they felt was right. In this book, Kennedy examines the heroic acts of eight U.S. Senators from American history. He dedicates a chapter to each one of them, explaining how each man was considered a villian for taking an unpopular position on a controversial issue. Each one of these men knew that they would be the subject of intense ridicule and condemnation for taking the position that he did. Yet, they had the courage and integrity to stand by their decisions, even though they knew that their careers were probably over as a result.

The first profile in courage is written about John Quincy Adams. Adams went against the wishes of the Federalist Party, and the people in his home state of Massachusetts, when he chose to support the British Trade Embargo if 1807, under President Thomas Jefferson. Adams knew that his decision was going to outrage many people, but he felt that the public good had to come before private interests, in this instance.

Profiles number two, three, and four are written about Daniel Webster, Senator from Massachusetts; Thomas Hart Benton, Senator from Missouri; and Sam Houston, Senator from Texas. These three men were members of the U.S. Senate in the early to mid 1800's. This was a very volatile time in U.S. history. The most pressing issue of the day was slavery, and each of these three men had his back against the wall. They could have easily kept the peace, with the constituents in their respective states, by simply going along with what was politically popular. But instead, each one of them stood on principle. They each wanted to preserve the union more than anything else. So, they adopted positions that were in opposition to the people in their states because they felt so strongly about the preservation of the country.

The fifth profile in this book is about a man who few people remember. He was a senator from Kansas named Edmund Ross. In 1868, president Andrew Johnson was facing impeachment. In order to remove Johnson from office, it would require a 2/3 majority vote. At the time, there were 54 Senators, so that meant that 36 votes were needed to remove Johnson from the presidency. Johnson's opponents were certain that they had at least 35 votes. They needed only one more vote of guilty to defeat Johnson. But Edmund Ross did not agree with the charges against Johnson. He could have easily gone along with his fellow Republicans in the Senate and voted guilty, but he didn't. His conscience told him that Johnson was not guilty, and that's how he cast his vote; thereby saving Johnson from removal. Ross' political career was over for voting the way he did, but his self- respect remained intact.

The next profile covered in this book is about Lucius Lamar, from Mississippi. In 1878, Lamar displayed an act of courage when he stood in opposition to a bill that would have given much needed economic relief to his home state, in the form of "free silver". This was a politically popular idea, that would allow the free coinage of any silver that was brought to the U.S. Mint, by any individual. Lamar knew that the citizens of his state were in dire financial straits, but he still voted against the bill because he felt that this was not the ethical way to solve a financial crisis.

Profile number seven is written about George Norris, a Senator from Nebraska. Norris went against the will of the people he represented when he refused to accept the idea that Congress should surrender its right to declare war, by turning the right over to the president. This was right before World War I. Also, Norris broke ranks with the Republican Party in later years when he gave his support to Democrat Al Smith for President, instead of Herbert Hoover, a Republican. Norris knew that his actions would cost him much support, but he felt that he had to act out of principle regardless of the personal political cost.

The last profile in courage is about Ohio Senator Robert Taft, a man who could have easily been nominated for president, if he had just kept his mouth shut and adopted the same positions that his Republican Party believed in. But Taft was an independent thinker, and a man of self- respect. He didn't like some of the positions that the Republican Party was taking, in particular, he was opposed to the hanging of the German Nazis following the Nuremberg Trials. His words got him into trouble with the party, and it ruined any chance that he would be the Republican presidential nominee.

The final part of this book details some other noteworthy acts of courage that were displayed by other Americans, like Senator Humphery Marshall of Kentucky; John Calhoun of South Carolina; and Governor John Altgeld of Illinois.

Final Thoughts:

Kennedy's writing is very well- done and well- presented. If I had one criticism with this book, it would be the fact that there isn't a large amount of original thought by Kennedy himself. He emphasizes his feelings on courage, but most of the book is just a re- telling of facts from American history. I would have liked to read more chapters on Kennedy's personal feelings and analyzation of these acts of courage.

In today's political world, we don't see too many acts of courage. Most politicians are too worried about the next election; too worried that they might offend someone; or too worried that they will destroy their own political career if they go against their own party. Therefore, the majority of politicians will just blindly adhere to the platform and recommendations of their own party, even when they know that the position is totally wrong! They have completely abandoned any inclination toward principle.

This book won Kennedy the Pulitzer Prize in 1957, making him the only U.S. president to win this prestigious award for literary talent. No other president has ever won this award. And, judging by the intelligence level (not to mention the total lack of courage!) of the men that we have elected to the presidency over the past 15 to 20 years, I think that Kennedy will likely remain the only president to win this award, for many years to come.