To the question of American frontier: John F. Kennedy and the program of "The New Frontier" (theoretical and foreign policy aspects)

The author of the article attempts to highlight a program of "The New Frontier" of administration of John F. Kennedy from the standpoint of the theory of the American frontier. The term "frontier" was widely distributed in the socio-political discourse of the United States mostly due to the concept of American historian Frederick J. Turner. In the narrow sense, the frontier was understood as a movable boundary between the territory, settled by residents of North American colonies / states and the lands of the Indians - the border, constantly shifting from east to west, the place of contact of savagery and civilization. But the frontier had not only geographical but also political, cultural and economic dimensions. We will consider the frontier, not as a popular metaphor, but rather as an archetype of American civilization, for the following reasons. First of all, the frontier has a certain stability, which manifests itself in the life of the United States throughout its history in myths, folklore and popular culture. In the second place, the frontier has its own system of symbols that causes well-defined images of the American audience. Thirdly, the frontier can be manifested at the level of the unconscious as can be seen from the example John F. Kennedy's speech at the Democratic National Convention in 1960. Using a vivid metaphor, an orator may be, without knowing it, under the influence of a certain archetype. And, fourthly, the frontier, having a specific energy, is able to exert a strong influence on human emotions. Frontier theory acquired in the 1950s additional connotation. Relations which in the XIX century were perceived as a contact between the "civilized" and "primitive" peoples in the middle of the twentieth century had transformed into the relationship between the "free West" and "developing world". Such initiatives of administration of John F. Kennedy as "Peace Corps", "Green Berets", the landing of the space crew on the Moon corresponded with the traditions of the conquest of the "Wild West" and the constant expansion of the American frontier. Most clearly the preservation of civilization and cultural values f the frontier in the history of the United States demonstrates such initiative of Kennedy's team like the "Peace Corps". H. Wofford (junior), special assistant to John F. Kennedy declared: "We are a pioneering people, with the frontier still in our blood.. But ever since our geographical frontier reached its manifest destiny the Pacific Ocean has stopped and frustrated us.. But most of the new frontiers are overseas, in the southern continents and we have not seen how to translate the 19 century advise "Go West, Young Man" into 20 century action". The idea of "Peace Corps" reflects the aspirations of the Kennedy's administration to find new tools of American foreign policy.

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