On September 26, 1960, for the first time in U.S. history, a
debate between major party presidential candidates was
broadcast on live television.
The presidential hopefuls, John F. Kennedy, a Democratic
senator of Massachusetts, and Richard M. Nixon, the vice
president of the United States, met in a Chicago studio to
discuss U.S. domestic matters.
Kennedy emerged the apparent winner from this first of
four televised debates.
The first Congress of the United States approved 12 amendments
to the U.S. Constitution, and sent them to the states for ratification.
The amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were designed to
protect the basic rights of U.S. citizens, guaranteeing the freedom
of speech, press, assembly, and exercise of religion; the right to
fair legal procedure and to bear arms; and powers not delegated
to the federal government were reserved for the states and the
people.
Influenced by the English Bill of Rights of 1689, the Bill of Rights
was also drawn from Virginia’s Declaration of Rights, drafted by
George Mason in 1776.
GEORGE MASON (1725 – 1792)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Johnny Cash now stands among the most
famous politicians, trailblazers and activists of American history
as he became the first professional musician to be honored with
a statue in the U.S. Capitol.
Congressional leaders from both parties and members of the Cash
family were among the several hundred guests who gathered
Tuesday for the unveiling of the statue.
They shared their memories of a man who grew up on an Arkansas cotton farm and turned a love of music into a decades-long career
that gave voice to the struggles and triumphs of everyday
Americans.
Kevin Kresse poses with his Johnny Cash statue.
