Back Образи на смелостта Bulgarian Profily odvahy Czech Zivilcourage (John F. Kennedy) German Perfiles de Coraje Spanish Profiles in Courage French Ritratti del coraggio Italian Каармандык өрнөктөрү (китеп) Kirghiz Профили мужества Russian

Profiles in Courage

Profiles in Courage
First edition
AuthorJohn F. Kennedy
Ted Sorensen (ghostwriter)
SubjectUnited States senators
GenreBiography
PublisherHarper & Brothers
Publication date
January 1, 1956[1]
Pages272
ISBN978-0-06-095544-1
Preceded byWhy England Slept 
Followed byA Nation of Immigrants 

Profiles in Courage is a 1956 volume of short biographies describing acts of bravery and integrity by eight United States senators. The book, authored by John F. Kennedy with Ted Sorensen as a ghostwriter, profiles senators who defied the opinions of their party and constituents to do what they felt was right and suffered severe criticism and losses in popularity as a result. It begins with a quotation from Edmund Burke on the courage of the English statesman Charles James Fox, in his 1783 "attack upon the tyranny of the East India Company" in the House of Commons, and focuses on mid-19th-century antebellum America and the efforts of senators to delay the American Civil War.[2] Profiles in Courage was widely celebrated and became a bestseller. It includes a foreword by Allan Nevins.

John F. Kennedy, then a U.S. senator, won the Pulitzer Prize for the work. However, in his 2008 autobiography, Kennedy's speechwriter Ted Sorensen, who was presumed as early as 1957 to be the book's ghostwriter, acknowledged that he "did a first draft of most chapters" and "helped choose the words of many of its sentences".[3][4][5] Jules Davids, who was a history professor for Kennedy's wife Jacqueline when she was a student at Georgetown University, is also acknowledged to have made key contributions to the historical research and organizational planning for the book.[6][7]

In 1990, Kennedy's family created the Profile in Courage Award to honor individuals who have acted with courage in the same vein as those profiled in the book. The book also served as the basis for an American historical anthology series of the same name that was telecast weekly on NBC from November 8, 1964, to May 9, 1965.

  1. ^ Harris, John (December 26, 1955). "Globe Will Publish 'Profiles in Courage'". The Boston Globe. p. 1.
  2. ^ "Frontispiece: Item 3 – Edmund Burke quotation, typescript". Jfklibrary.org. Retrieved December 28, 2014.
  3. ^ Walls, Jeannette (2000). Dish: The Inside Story on the World of Gossip. New York: Avon Books, Inc., an Imprint of Harper Collins Publishers. pp. 29–35. ISBN 0-380-97821-0.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Her Story, Their Words: Behind the Scenes of the Best-Sellers was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference Who wrote that political memoir? No, who actually wrote it? was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Pearson, Richard (December 11, 1996). "Jules Davids, Lauded Professor Of Diplomatic History, Dies At 75". Washington Post. Retrieved April 22, 2023.
  7. ^ Cohen, Patricia (October 18, 1997). "An Old Letter Backs a Claim of Helping Kennedy Write 'Profiles'". New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2023.

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