The Effects of JFK's Assassination

1960 Words4 Pages

Term Paper: The Effects of JFK’s Assassination President John F. Kennedy, “was one of the most powerful, glamorous, wealthy, charismatic individuals on the planet,” when he was assassinated on November 22, 1963 (Von Drehle). Americans living during the 1960’s never imagined that their beloved President would meet such an untimely and gruesome end, and his unexpected death changed the course of American history forever. Despite Kennedy’s seemingly god-like power and universal influence, an individual no American had previously heard of killed him within seconds. Although the US Government deemed Lee Harvey Oswald the sole assassin, “Fifty years after JFK'S assassination, conspiracy theories still haunt the national psyche” (Von Drehle). At the time of his death, most Americans doubted the conclusion that only one individual was involved in the assassination, and this suspicion still exists: “61 percent of Americans still believe that other people besides gunman Lee Harvey Oswald were involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy” (Waxman). The effects of Kennedy’s assassination were monumental, and his suspicious death began the era of conspiracy theories, leaving many Americans distrustful of the US Federal Government. Friday, November 22, 1963 marked one of the most shocking events in American history. It was a sunny day when President John F. Kennedy was visiting Dallas, Texas, to deliver a speech, and, “when the sun smiled like this, the President liked to ride with the top off his limousine and the rear seat raised so that people could see him easily” (Von Drehle). Kennedy, his wife Jacqueline, and the Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie, traveled from the airport through the city in a convertibl... ... middle of paper ... ... Commentary 136.5 (2013): 31-36. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. "Five Fiendish Ways the Kennedy Assassination Warped Our World." Off The Grid News. N.p., n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. changed-modern-america/>. "Kennedy assassinated." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. . "Kennedy Assassination." ushistory.org. Independence Hall Association, n.d. Web. 1 Mar. 2014. . Von Drehle, David. "Broken Trust." Time 182.22 (2013): 40. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Mar. 2014. Waxman, Olivia B. "JFK Conspiracy Theories Are Alive And Well, According To Gallup Poll." Time.Com (2013): 1. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Mar. 2014.

Open Document