Ap Free Response Essay Example

from extant kinescopes the landmark compilation film Point of Order! , the definitive documentary record of America's first great made-for-TV political spectacle. On 26 September 1960, 70 million U. S. viewers tuned in to watch Senator John Kennedy of Massachusetts and Vice President Richard Nixon in the first-ever televised presidential debate. It was the first of four televised "Great Debates" between Kennedy and Nixon. The first debate centered on domestic issues.

The high point of the second debate, on 7 October, was disagreement over U. S. involvement in two small islands off the coast of China, and on 13 October, Nixon and Kennedy continued this dispute. On 21 October, the final debate, the candidates focused on American relations with Cuba. The Great Debates marked television's grand entrance into presidential politics. They afforded the first real opportunity for voters to see their candidates in competition, and the visual contrast was dramatic. The televised Great Debates had a significant impact on voters in 1960, on national elections since, and, indeed, on our concerns for democracy itself.

The impact on the election of 1960 was significant, albeit subtle. Commentators broadly agree that the first debate accelerated Democratic support for Kennedy. In hindsight, however, it seems the debates were not, as once thought, the turning-point in the election. Television played a vital role in political issues going into the future because for the first time in history people were more involved in government and issues than ever before. They were able to see things and be apart of the county. This would change government forever.