Bahadur blog

Congress marks 50 years since Kennedy inaugural

WASHINGTON – The 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's inaugural address was marked at the Capitol with speeches celebrating Kennedy's famed call on Americans to serve their country.

Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and Kennedy's daughter Caroline Kennedy were among the speakers at the ceremony in the Rotunda of the Capitol held a half-century after Kennedy's 1961 address.

Biden said the speech — with the words "ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country" — set in motion a new era where Americans were challenged to contribute a part of their lives to service.

President Barack Obama is to speak at another event commemorating the address at the Kennedy Center Thursday night.