Skip to Main Content
undefined

Thirteen Days: John F. Kennedy, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and Purpose

45 min

Walk-In-The-Shoes Questions
As you read, imagine you are the protagonist.

  • What challenges are you facing?
  • What fears or concerns might you have?
  • What may prevent you from acting in the way you ought?

Observation Questions

  • What was President Kennedy’s role in the Cuban Missile Crisis?
  • What was Kennedy’s purpose?
  • What decision did Kennedy make in the Cuban Missile Crisis? Why? Do you believe it was the right decisions? Why or why not?
  • How did President Kennedy’s purposeful decision in the Cuban Missile Crisis help protect freedom?

Discussion Questions
Discuss the following questions with your students.

  • What is the historical context of the narrative?
  • What historical circumstances presented a challenge to the protagonist?
  • How and why did the individual exhibit a moral and/or civic virtue in facing and overcoming the challenge?
  • How did the exercise of the virtue benefit civil society?
  • How might exercise of the virtue benefit the protagonist?
  • What might the exercise of the virtue cost the protagonist?
  • Would you react the same under similar circumstances? Why or why not?
  • How can you act similarly in your own life? What obstacles must you overcome in order to do so?
  • Students will analyze President Kennedy’s purposeful decisions during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
  • Students will apply their knowledge of purpose to their own lives.

Student Handouts