La campaña de JFK para presidente es la primera que se libra en la televisión, una ventaja distintiva para el candidato telegenético. A pesar de su falta de logros legislativos y su catolicismo, que muchos estadounidenses ven como negativo, Kennedy gana las elecciones prometiendo que se enfrentará a los soviéticos y protegerá la preeminencia estadounidense en el mundo.

The American Diplomat explores the lives and legacies of three African-American ambassadors, Edward R. Dudley, Terence Todman and Carl Rowan, who pushed past historical and institutional racial barriers to reach high-ranking appointments in the Truman, Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations. At the height of the civil rights movement in the United States, they were asked to represent the best of American ideals abroad while facing discrimination at home. Colloquially referred to as "pale, male, and Yale," the U.S. State Department fiercely maintained and cultivated the Foreign Service's elitist character and was one of the last federal agencies to desegregate. Through rare archival footage, in-depth oral histories, and interviews with family members, colleagues and diplomats, the film paints a portrait of three men who created a lasting impact on the content and character of the Foreign Service and changed American diplomacy forever.