The Camelot myth about John F. Kennedy's presidency began shortly after his assassination. His widow, Jaqueline, played a large role in propagating it. The Kennedy myth is more than just a fairy tale, it is a legacy that will probably outlast anything else from his presidency.
So, what about the Kennedy years constituted--as Jaqueline phrased it--the "one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot?" I believe that John and Jacque's style and personality led to the Camelot myth by elevating the image of the White House to a level it had never known before, and will probably never know again. Their lifestyle and aura was one of royalty, rather than that of a politician and his wife. The presented the American imagination with a youth, elegance, glamour, and charisma that may forever be unparalleled.
Nearly everywhere one goes one sees the products of the Kennedy legacy. Our nation has an over-abundance of plaques, schools, hospitals, streets, landmarks, and even an airport that all have been crowned with the Kennedy name--and the Kennedy legacy. These landmarks and buildings bear John F. Kennedy's name, not because of what he did, but because of what he represented in the public imagination.
I believe that the Camelot legacy had--and has--a positive effect on American society. At the time, Camelot served as a source of hope and optimism for Cold War America. Today and in the future the Kennedy myth is "a real fairy-tale from which the imagination can draw tales of fame, fortune, and glory about America's own 'knight in shining armor.'"
Mesopotamia (Gilgamesh) *Greece (Odysseus) *Rome (Aeneas) *England (Romeo and Juliet) *America (the Kennedys)