Assignment 3-1

John Fitzgerald Kennedy

The name John Fitzgerald Kennedy, popularly known as ‘JFK’ still evokes strong emotions. He was born in 1917 and became the 35th president of United States. He represented a new generation America.

He stood as a beacon of hope and paved way for a new de-segregated America. Even though he served as a president for a very short term (1961 to 1963) he was a very popular and a powerful president. He is remembered for the things he could have done for America and the world had he been alive.

He is the youngest President and to date the only President to win the ‘Pulitzer prize’. The major events during his administration were “Bay of Pigs Invasion”, “Cuban Missile Crisis”, building of “Berlin Wall”, “Space Race”, “America Civil Rights Movement”, and early moments of the “Vietnam War”.

On the fateful November 22nd, The President and the First Lady, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier journeyed to Dallas on a campaign trip. The presidential motorcade drove through downtown Dallas, with the president and the Firstlady and accompanied by the Governor John Connally and his wife Nellie, in an open top car. As the motorcase moved through Dealy Plaza shots were fired upon the Presidential Car. Before anybody could realize what was happenening two more shots were fired which wounded the President fatally. He was rushed to the Parkland Memorial were he was pronounced dead soon after.

The whole world watched in shock as the news unfolded. Millions around the world wept at the loss.

It was concluded that the shots were fired from the nearby warehouse building called the ‘School Book Repository’. Soon after a warehouse worker named Lee Harvey Oswald was arrested. Oswald who was a former US Marine had allegedly defected to the Soviet Union was in Cuba recently and championed the Cuban Causes and returned to United States. Jack Ruby shot Harvey Oswald to death before he was put to trial.

The dramatic events led to the popular belief in Conspiracy. The Warren House commission that was set up to investigate the assassination confirmed that the shots that killed were indeed fired from the warehouse. The Rockefeller commission set up to investigate CIA’s involvement didn’t turn up with any conclusive evidence. In 1988 the Case was closed for lack of conclusive evidence.

JFK is still considered to be an Icon of American hopes and aspiration. He continues to rank high in the public Opinions of former US Presidents.