John F. Kennedy’s Assassination in American History

There have been several events in American history where people can recall the exact moment in time. John F. Kennedy’s assassination is one of them. After the assassination, most people around the nation felt that John F. Kennedy’s death was unfair and tragic. People felt this way because he was a popular president that fought for civil rights, was a World War II naval hero, and instilled great values in everyone he encountered. In the 46 years before his assassination, John F.

Kennedy had many political accomplishments while being a supportive husband and father.

Most of John F. Kennedy’s life was spent out of presidential office, so as you can imagine, he has many accomplishments and events not pertaining to presidency in his life. John F. Kennedy was born in Brookline, MA on May 29, 1917 to Joseph and Rose Kennedy (Newsela). His full name is John Fitzgerald Kennedy (John F. Kennedy’s Assassination). John F. Kennedy had a very large family growing up. He was the third child and had 8 siblings. He was very close to his family, and they enjoyed spending time together (Yanek Mieczkowski). The boys in the family were known to be competitive and often played sports. He was nicknamed “Jack” by his family at an early age (Yanek Mieczkowski). As a child, he attended public and Catholic schools. As a college student, John F. Kennedy attended Harvard University with a degree in government (Newsela). He enlisted in the navy in his early adulthood and served during World War II and was considered a war hero (Yanek Mieczkowski). He was married on September 12, 1953 to Jacqueline “Jackie” Bouvier. Jackie and John later had three children. Their names are Caroline, John Jr., and Patrick, who died soon after birth.

John F. Kennedy and his family were very involved in politics. His father, Joseph, was a U. S. Senator. John F. Kennedy was also a United States senator before his presidency. John F. Kennedy’s political party was Democrat (Newsela). He was passionate about civil rights because he wished for all Americans to have equal rights. According to (Vi-An Nguyen), John F. Kennedy said “Today, we are committed to a worldwide struggle to promote and protect the rights of all who wish to be free. … It ought to to be possible, in short, for every American to enjoy the privileges of being American without regard to his race or his color.” John F. Kennedy was America’s first and only Catholic president (Newsela). In his inauguration speech, John F. Kennedy said, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country” (John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address Highlights). He was barely past his 1,000th day in office when he was assassinated. John F. Kennedy was the youngest person elected to the office of the president and also the youngest to die in this office (Newsela).

John F. Kennedy was in Texas on a political campaign looking for support for his re-election when he was shot (John F. Kennedy’s Assassination). On November 22, 1963, John F. Kennedy was scheduled to speak at a Dallas Trade Mart for a luncheon. There was a parade going to the Trade Mart. In this parade, John F. Kennedy rode in a convertible. John F. Kennedy sat in the rear right seat in this car. Behind John F. Kennedy’s car was another car filled with secret service agents (Yanek Mieczkowski). It was during this parade when John F. Kennedy was fatally shot. He was shot twice, once in the neck and once in the head. Once he was shot he was killed almost immediately (Shmoop Learning Guide). Lee Harvey Oswald, the shooter, shot from the 6th floor of the Texas School Book Depository (History.com). Oswald fired three shots. Two shots hit President Kennedy and one hit Governor John B. Connally (History.com). It was about 12:30 pm when the shots rang out. President Kennedy and Governor John B. Connally were the only people injured in this shooting. President Kennedy was the only person to die in this shooting. Kennedy went to Parkland Hospital immediately after he was shot. When John he arrived, doctors knew he had no chance of surviving. President Kennedy was pronounced dead at 1:00 pm (Yanek Mieczkowski).

Americans were very distraught by the news of President Kennedy’s death (Shmoop Learning Guide). Traditionally, Lyndon B. Johnson, President Kennedy’s vice president, was sworn into office and became president after President Kennedy’s death (Patricia D. Netzley). President John F. Kennedy’s funeral was on November 25th, 1963 (Yanek Mieczkowski). There was a procession from the White House to St. Matthew’s Cathedral. During this procession, his coffin was covered by an American flag. President Kennedy’s funeral took place at the cathedral (John F. Kennedy’s Funeral). He was then buried at Arlington National Cemetery. It was here that his wife Jackie, the First Lady, lit an “eternal flame” (Yanek Mieczkowski).

Lee Harvey Oswald was charged for the murder of John F. Kennedy (Shmoop Learning Guide). Oswald denied murdering the president (Yanek Mieczkowski). Oswald worked at the Texas School Book Depository. This is where he fired the shots from (History.com). Lee used an Italian Rifle to kill Kennedy (Yanek Mieczkowski). Oswald was then killed by Jack Ruby two days after the shooting of President Kennedy (History.com). Oswald was killed when he was being led into a car to bring him to another jail (Yanek Mieczkowski). While he shot, Jack Ruby said “You killed my president, you rat.” When Oswald was shot, he was taken to the same hospital as John F. Kennedy which is named Parkland Hospital (Yanek Mieczkowski).

There are very many theories of why John F. Kennedy was killed and who killed him (The Mystery of John F. Kennedy’s Assassination). Some theories of why John F. Kennedy was killed and who he was killed by include, 2 or more gunmen, Umbrella Man, CIA, Mafia, and Lyndon B. Johnson (Shmoop Learning Guide). These theories are still believed by many even though it has been over 50 years since John F. Kennedy was shot and killed. Some think that there were two gunmen involved in the shooting because their is a very small chance that Oswald could have fired three shots and none of them missed people since he was so far away from the car. It is not proved whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone or with others. The umbrella man theory is a theory that when a man named Louie Steven Witt was walking with an umbrella, he was sending a signal for Lee Harvey Oswald of when to shoot or that Louie was shooting poisonous darts from the umbrella towards the president. Another theory is that the government, specifically the CIA, had set up the plan to kill Kennedy. People believe this because the CIA was unhappy with John F. Kennedy about his Bay of Pigs invasion. Some believe the Mafia set up the assassination because they were angry at John F. Kennedy for his attempts to shut down organized crime (The Kennedy Conspiracy Theories That Still Endure 50 Years After JFK’s Death). Many years after the shooting a Mafia leader from Florida claimed he set up the shooting of John F. Kennedy. He died shortly after making this claim (The Mystery of John F. Kennedy’s Assassination). Some also believe Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy’s vice president, set up his assassination so he could become president (Shmoop Learning Guide). Nobody is sure why Oswald killed John F. Kennedy, who he acted with, and who was behind the assassination. Many witnesses of the shooting died or went missing after it (The Mystery of John F. Kennedy’s Assassination).

In the 46 years before his assassination, John F. Kennedy had many political accomplishments while being a supportive husband and father. He represented great American values including, fighting for our nation during World War II and encouraging a civil rights movement in America. John F. Kennedy’s life and assassination will continue to affect people of our nation forever.

There are very many theories of why John F. Kennedy was killed and who killed him (The Mystery of John F. Kennedy’s Assassination). Some theories of why John F. Kennedy was killed and who he was killed by include, 2 or more gunmen, Umbrella Man, CIA, Mafia, and Lyndon B. Johnson (Shmoop Learning Guide). These theories are still believed by many even though it has been over 50 years since John F. Kennedy was shot and killed. Some think that there were two gunmen involved in the shooting because their is a very small chance that Oswald could have fired three shots and none of them missed people since he was so far away from the car. It is not proved whether Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone or with others. The umbrella man theory is a theory that when a man named Louie Steven Witt was walking with an umbrella, he was sending a signal for Lee Harvey Oswald of when to shoot or that Louie was shooting poisonous darts from the umbrella towards the president. Another theory is that the government, specifically the CIA, had set up the plan to kill Kennedy. People believe this because the CIA was unhappy with John F. Kennedy about his Bay of Pigs invasion. Some believe the Mafia set up the assassination because they were angry at John F. Kennedy for his attempts to shut down organized crime (The Kennedy Conspiracy Theories That Still Endure 50 Years After JFK’s Death). Many years after the shooting a Mafia leader from Florida claimed he set up the shooting of John F. Kennedy. He died shortly after making this claim (The Mystery of John F. Kennedy’s Assassination). Some also believe Lyndon B. Johnson, John F. Kennedy’s vice president, set up his assassination so he could become president (Shmoop Learning Guide). Nobody is sure why Oswald killed John F. Kennedy, who he acted with, and who was behind the assassination. Many witnesses of the shooting died or went missing after it (The Mystery of John F. Kennedy’s Assassination).

In the 46 years before his assassination, John F. Kennedy had many political accomplishments while being a supportive husband and father. He represented great American values including, fighting for our nation during World War II and encouraging a civil rights movement in America. John F. Kennedy’s life and assassination will continue to affect people of our nation forever.

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