Реферат: JFK Essay Research Paper John Fitzgerald Kennedy
JFK Essay, Research Paper
John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States of
America.
He grew up in a family of political leaders and then became one himself.
During his
lifetime he had many accomplishments, both personal and political; he had a
beautiful wife,
and a wonderful family, he wrote award winning novels, started the Peace
Corps, and he
broke the barrier between us and the Soviet Union, among many others which
will be
discussed later. Nearing the end of his term of president, Kennedy was
visiting Dallas,
Texas to campaign for the next election. During a campaigning motorcade, his
open
convertible limousine was approaching a field known as Dealey Plaza when
shots rang
out. The shots were thought to have come from the seven-story Texas School
Book
Depository. The shots were fatal for President John Kennedy. John Kennedy was
a very
influential leader of the 1960?s and will remain a hero forever.
John Kennedy was born at 83 Beals Street, Brookline, Massachusetts on May 27,
1917. He was born to Joseph and Rose Kennedy. John was the second oldest in
his
family of nine children. He was named after his grandfather, John Fitzgerald.
His
grandfather was elected mayor of Boston in 1905. His father, Joseph Patrick
was a
wealthy business man, and an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, and
also the US
Ambassador to Great Britain from 1938 to 1940. As you can see he was destined
to be a
successful leader. As a young boy JFK was called ?Jack? by his family. He
and his family
moved to New York when John was 10 years old. They spent summer months in
Hyannis, Cape Cod. His family often traveled to other states and countries.
He attended
an elite prep school, Choate High School in Connecticut, he graduated in
1935. he then
went on to Harvard College and graduated from there in 1940. In 1941 he
joined the
Navy, he became commander of a PT (patrol torpedo), assigned to the battle in
the Pacific
against the Japanese. During one night, Kennedy?s boat was rammed by a
large enemy
boat, two of the thirteen crew men were killed, and the rest, led by Lt.
Kennedy swam to a
nearby deserted island off of the Solomon Islands. They managed to survive,
mostly by
eating coconuts until they were rescued a week later. Kennedy engraved a
message in a
coconut shell and it was found by Naval Officers. After W.W.II was over, he
had to
decide what to do with his life, he possibly wanted to be a teacher or
writer, but he decide
to run for a political office. In 1946 he was elected to the US Congress,
representing a
large area in Boston. Becoming a congress man at the age of 29. He was a
Democrat, he
served three terms, or six years in the House of Representatives. In 1952 he
was elected
to the US Senate. Kennedy barley missed being picked for the Democratic part?s
candidate for Vice President in 1956. He started a long campaign to become
president in
1960. At a convention on July 13, 1960, Democratic chose Kennedy ad their
Presidential
candidate. Kennedy asked Lyndon B. Johnson, a senator from Texas to run with
him as
his vice President. Kennedy and Nixon had the first televised presidential
debate, in
which Kennedy proved himself to be a smooth, calm person in heated up times,
and Nixon
didn?t. In general election on November 8, 1959, Kennedy defeated Vice
President
Richard M. Nixon in a very close race. There was a record breaking 69 million
voters
that year, Kennedy won by 113,000 votes. Kennedy was the youngest man ever
elected to
President, at 43 years old, he was also the first Catholic president. JFK was
sworn in as
President on January 20, 1960. During his Inaugural Address he spoke about
the need for
all Americans to be active citizens, this is where his famous quote,? Ask
not what your
country can do for you, but what you can do for your country?, came from.
John
Fitzgerald Kennedy had many personal achievements throughout his life time.
One of his
firsts was a book he wrote during his college years at Harvard University.
His book, Why
England Slept, was on the Best Sellers list, it was about some of the
decisions that led to
W.W.II and about how Britain lack preparedness for the war. Jacqueline Lee
Bouvier,
another one of his great accomplishments. Jacqueline was one of the most
admired and
looked upon First Ladies in our history, she was young, beautiful and loved
by everyone.
He was married to her on September 12, 1953. Four years after their marriage,
in 1957,
their first child was born, it was a girl, they named her Caroline. In 1959,
two years later,
their second child was born, John Jr., named after his father. He was called,
?John John?
by his father. He had a beautiful family by the end of the 1950?s. In 1954
he had a serious
operation on his back, after years of problems. While he was recovering, he
wrote another
book, this one about senators who had risked everything for what they had
believed. The
book, called Profiles in Courage, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for
biography in 1957.
He was an American hero for his political achievements. In his first year of
office,
congress passed a law increasing minimum wage, the first change to the law
since it
became a law. Congress also passed a bill granting federal aid to the
economically
depressed areas. He helped create the Peace Corps. The Peace Corps are
American
volunteers who go to other countries requesting assistance. Americans serve
as, teachers,
and help in farming, health care, and construction. In May 1961, after Alan
Shepard was
the first American astronaut to go into space, Kennedy asked congress to
spend more
money on space exploration, with the intention of landing a man on the moon
before the
end of the decade. In one bill, congress dedicated One billion dollars to
finance the
sending or a man to the moon. Kennedy also asked congress to pass a Civil
Rights bill
that would guarantee blacks the rights to vote, to attend public schools, to
have equal job
opportunities, and equal access to public accommodations. In 1961, from the
previous
Administration, he inherited a secret plan to over throw Fidel Castro of
Cuba. Kennedy
approved an invasion, known as the Bay of Pigs. The invasion took place in
April by
refugees, the attempt failed and resulted in the capture of US refugees and
personal
embarrassment for President Kennedy. In 1962 he helped rescue the prisoners
from the
Bay of Pigs, 1113 prisoners were released in exchange for food and medical
supplies
valued at 53 million dollars. The Cuban Missile Crisis was perhaps the worlds
closest
approach to a Nuclear War. Ever since W.W.II there had been a lot of anger
and
suspicion between the US and the Soviet Union. This ?Cold War? was a
struggle between
the Soviet Union?s communist system of government and Americas democratic
system.
Because there was no trust between two countries, they both spent large sum?s
of money
building nuclear weapons to use if a war did start. We placed some of our
missiles in
Turkey, which was in range of the USSR. In the Fall of 1962, we heard rumors
that the
USSR had placed in Cuba, which was in range of south eastern United States.
Kennedy
arranged for spy planes to fly over Cuba. The planes spotted a missile.
Kennedy
demanded that the Soviet Union dismantle and remove the missiles or he was
going to
create a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent the arrival of anymore
weapons. On
October 28, the USSR agreed to remove the missiles, if we removed ours from
Turkey.
In August 1963, The United States and The Soviet Union signed a treaty that
outlawed
nuclear bomb tests in air, underwater, or in space. Kennedy did a lot for
African
Americans in the 1960?s. In September 1962, the nation forced the threat of
violence in
the State of Mississippi. James Meredith, an African American and Air Force
veteran,
applied and was admitted to the University of Mississippi. However, when he
arrived on
campus, university officials would not let him go to class because he was
black. Both
John and Robert (his brother) Kennedy had long talks over the telephone with
the
governor of Mississippi, Ross Barnett. However they failed to convince him to
allow
James Meredith to attend classes. In order to enforce the Constitution and to
protect
Meredith, Kennedy ordered the National Guard and federal marshals to the
University.
After a riot in which two people died and dozens were injured, Meredith
registered for
classes and segregation ended at the University of Mississippi. A similar
incident
happened almost a year later in Alabama. African American students were not
allowed to
attend the University of Alabama, once again, President Kennedy had to send
in soldiers to
protect the students. He decided to speak on national television about civil
rights. He said
Americans had a legal and moral responsibility to provide equal access to
education and
guarantee voting rights for all citizens. He helped to end segregation in the
south. John
Kennedy accomplished so much in his three years as president of the Untied
States of
America.
It was a sunny November day in 1963, a plane called Air Force one landed at
Love
Field in Dallas. The crowds were friendly as the presidential motorcade wound
through
the streets. Since the day was so nice, the Kennedy?s, the governor of
Texas and his wife,
rode in an open convertible limousine. The limousine approached a
diamond-shaped
grassy field, called Dealey Plaza. Standing seven-stories above them was the
Texas
School Book Depository building. The governor?s wife turned and smiled at
the
president. ?Well, Mr. President?, she said,? you can?t say that
Dallas doesn?t love you!?
John Kennedy never answered. A crack of a rifle cut him down, and the world
has never
been the same since. Kennedy?s body lurched. Governor john Connally slumped
forward.
A guard assigned to protect the president leaped onto the back of the
limousine. He
grabbed Mrs. Kennedy who had climbed onto the back of the car in terror. He
saw blood
soaking the car seats and pounded on the trunk. The limousine sped toward
Parkland
Memorial Hospital. The announcement of Kennedy?s death came at 2:00 P.M.
eastern
time on Friday, November 22, 1963. People who lived through this day can
remember
precisely where they were and what they were doing when they heard the
stunning news.
Minutes after the shooting, police searched the building surrounding Dealey
Plaza. One
officer came upon a man who was drinking a Coke in the second-floor employees?
lunchroom at the Texas School Book Depository, the man was
twenty-four-year-old Lee
Harvey Oswald. He would remain a dark and mysterious figure in history.
Evidence in the
Texas School Book Depository put a suspicion on Oswald, which made him a
wanted
suspect. Dallas patrolman J.D. Tippit spotted Oswald hurrying down a sidewalk
and
ordered him to halt. Oswald drew his pistol and shot three times killing
Officer Tippit
instantly. Thirty-five minutes later, Oswald was seized inside a movie
theater. Oswald was
to be routinely transferred to another jail facility on Sunday, November 24.
As he was
being escorted by two detectives holding each arm, a man jumped out of the
crowd and
shouted, ?You killed the president, you rat!? Then shoved a pistol into
Oswalds? stomach,
fired, and killed him.
There are many theories on what happened to President John Kennedy on
November 22, 1963. This is probably one of the most mysterious
assassinations, in US
history. He was one of four other assassinations, Abraham Lincoln, James
Garfield, and
William McKinley. The Single Bullet theory was a theory drafted by the Warren
Commission, it was a theory used to explain the conclusions that they had
come to during
their investigation. The single bullet theory can be accepted, although there
are many other
theories that can equally just as well explain Kennedy’s assassination. With
the aid of
modern technology photographs, films, and sound recordings from the time have
been
examined. The findings of the examination show that the controversial
incident regarding
Governor Connally and President Kennedy could have been possible. If Connally
had
turned ever so slightly to his right which he is said to have recalled to
doing so in hospital.
Photographic evidence also supports this. Due to the fact that Kennedy and
Connally were
of a similar size the single bullet theory that says Connally and Kennedy
were hit by the
same bullet could be true. There are of course facts that warp the single
bullet theory such
as the fact that the bullet that was found on a hospital stretcher was in
perfect condition.
Yet doctors have proven that the bullet had in fact gone through two major
bones and
torn out a great deal of muscle. Tests carried out on the bullet prove also
that a bullet
when fired through a sheep’s spinal chord which is the same thickness as a
human’s, it
becomes out of shape and shows signs of severe impact. So the single bullet
theory could
be disproved in this way. However chemical tests carried out on the bullet
found on the
stretcher in Parkfield Hospital, proves that it did in fact come from the
same cartridge
shells found hidden in the Texas School Book Depository Building. his is the
main
question which is one everyone’s lips, and there are several points which are
worth
considering when deciding whether or not there was a second gunman.
Photographic
evidence also points towards a second gunman as a picture taken at the time,
after
enhancement shows a figure hiding in the grassy knoll, not far from were the
assassination
took place. Witnesses have also testified that they saw a man hiding in the
bushes,
cigarette stubs have also been found as well as footprints. Others say that
they saw gun
smoke, however this is unlikely due to the fact that modern rifles don’t
produce smoke
visible to the human eye. In fact the only smoke that would have been visible
by the human
eye is when you are positioned less than a foot or so away from it. Secret
service agents
were reported to be at the scene when the shots went off. However the
positions of all the
secret service agents show that there was no – one in the immediate area. A
Dallas
policeman ran towards the area when the shots went off, however he was
stopped by a
group of gentlemen posing as secret service agents. In a statement later he
admits that he
should have asked the gentlemen for identification as they didn’t look like
secret service
agents. Could these men have been comrades to a man standing in the grassy
knoll.
Dealey Plaza was unfortunately an echo valley, so the sound of gun shots
would seem to
come from different places. A recording made at Dallas Police headquarters,
after analysis
shows that the shots could have came from a variety of different places, but
the recording
seems to point towards the theory of three shots being fired. To shoot from
the grassy
knoll, would of had to be a tracking shot, the gunman would have to have been
moving his
rifle left to right matching the motion of the car. Gun experts have said
that it would have
been a difficult shots from the Texas School Book Depository building,
however the shot
would have been a much easier one than from the grassy knoll.
This obviously shows that there must have been some sort of a sound
resembling a gun
shot from the grassy knoll as there was people diving for cover on the floor,
obviously
scared of being hit. Also a Dallas police officer thought that there was a
shot from the
grassy knoll and indeed ran over, but only to be turned away by ‘fake’ secret
service
agents. The major fact that alarms Americans is that the Warren Commission
who
investigated the assassination is that they were very single minded and
seemed to have no
other theories about the assassination. The commission were also criticized
because they
couldn’t really prove it was Oswald or get a confession out of him. The
Warren
commission believe that the assassination was carried out by a lone gunman,
namely Lee
Harvey Oswald. However another investigation into the assassination by the
House Select
Committee was carried out a number of years later because there was still
public disbelief
that Oswald was a lone gunman. The committee called witnesses to hear their
version of
the events, and in the end ruled that there could have been another assassin,
possibly
situated in the grassy knoll. Some points to raise into this matter are that
the secret service
agents were never found, even after a substantial investigation, could it
have been a cover
up? Another point to raise is over the witnesses, several witnesses died
under mysterious
circumstances before they could give their version of events. The largest
point to raise is
Oswalds? claim that he was a patsy ( he was framed ). Could crucial eye —
witnesses have
been assassinated to stop them from speaking out, could one of them held a
vital clue to
solve the mystery.
In conclusion to John Fitzgerald Kennedy, as a person, as a leader, as the
President
of the United States of America, and most of all as our friend, was very
influential to all of
us. He was born into a family of leaders and politicians, it was his destine
that he would
be a political leader, and he was but not just the United States also for the
whole world.
He created a wonderful family, which also became leaders of today?s world.
He made
many improvements during his three years in office to our nation. He improved
health
care, poverty, civil rights and relations with other countries. He was a
president that really
cared about his country, and the world and did as much as he could to make it
as perfect
as possible. I think that he is the last president that we have had that has
really tried to
improve our country instead of just try to keep it form getting worse. He
dealt with not
just the big issues that existed but also with the smaller issues. I believe
that he is a True
American Hero and should be held in the highest of light for his leadership,
personality,
and accomplishments. I don?t not agree with the ?Single Bullet? theory.
Gun experts even
said that it would have been a very difficult shot to make from the Texas
School Book
Depository. It is almost impossible for it to have only been one bullet. It
is said that the
shots came from behind and above the limousine, which would have made a
bullet whole
in Kennedy that went down, then above that entry wound there was said to have
been and
exit wound, then below that whole it is said that it entered senator Connally
in a
downward direction. This means that this one, single bullet left seven
injuries, the first
downward, the second upwards, the third downwards and the rest downwards. How
can
this be? I don?t think that it is possible. there had to have been more
than one bullet
causing these injuries. I think that there was another person shooting and
they were all
involved in a conspiracy. How do you explain the sounds people heard, the
smoke, the
fake secret service agents, the mysterious bullet that showed up on the
hospital bed? It
can?t be explained if Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone. I think that Jack Ruby
shot him
because he was part of the conspiracy and got scared and thought that he was
going to
?rat? on them. The only way all of this can be explained is if there are
multiple people
involved in. I?m not sure why there was a conspiracy against him but I
think that it might
have something to do with his civil rights movements or his thoughts of
pulling out from
Vietnam. I think that the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy is one of
the most
tragic events that has happened in our history, partially because of who he
was and also
because we still do not know to this day what really happened.
References
-The Official Warren Commission Report, Doubleday and Company, Inc.,
Garden, N.Y. 1964
— The Assassination of John F. Kennedy, R Conrad Stein, Children?s Press
Chicago, 1992
— The United States History: In the course of human events, West Publishing
Company
1997 pages 868-976
— Funk and Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, Volume 14; pages, 355-356
Robert S. Phillips