ABSTRACT
It would be difficult to overstate the amount of attention that the life of John Fitzgerald Kennedy has garnered. From scholars to novelists, documentarians to musicians, speculations about everything from his policy choices to his sexual escapades have provided material for discussion across social and academic divides. The beginning of John Kennedy's public persona is generally cited as the glorification of his naval service in the Pacific during World War II. Initially, he was denied entry into the armed forces because of a failed physical examination in mid-1941. John F. Kennedy was not the first Roman Catholic candidate for the presidency. Kennedy's religion posed problems to the establishment of his autonomy because of the hierarchical nature of the Roman Catholic Church and its theology of intercession. The strongest challenges to Kennedy's presidential candidacy, from the primary to Election Day, questioned his autonomy and independence.
