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Ariel Spatafore

Mrs Smith 4B

History 104

27 April 2017

The Effect of Kennedy's Assassination on America

JFKs assassination changed the way Americans think for the rest of their lives. It made

them question things they never thought to question. To this day people are still forming

opinions on what really happened that day.The assassination of John F. Kennedy sparked large

number of conspiracy theories due to no assassin being brought to justice. If John F. Kennedy

wouldn't have been assassinated that day, America would likely be a different place compared to

today.

John F Kennedy was beloved by many when he was President. Unfortunately not

everything about him was viewed as being great. His presidency was short lived, therefore he

was not able to do most of what he had hoped to accomplish. Soon after kennedy's death some

americans held the belief that, Kennedy accomplishes more in death then life (A People and a

nation:history of the united states 867).Despite the fact that he is believed to have accomplished

alot, he did have his flaws. Kennedy was loudly anti-soviet leading people who feared the Red

Scare to support him, but this also meant he was geared towards going to war. He also was

living with a secret; Kennedy had Addison's disease (Brinkley). This is not a great attribute for

a the president to have considering the fact that being president is one of the most stressful jobs.

Kennedy also had been part of scandals, he was involved with a mob escort Judith Campbell

(Brinkley). Judith meet Kennedy when he was running for president, She later claimed to have
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been one of Kennedy's mistresses for over two years. Kennedy won by a razor thin victory. A

huge mistake he made was his judgment on the Bay of Pigs invasion. Americans seem to forget

these important aspects of his presidency and remember instead that he was an extraordinary

cold war politician.

When Kennedy became President he had his work cut out for him. America had and was

going to have some big problems on way. One of the biggest problems that was still occurring in

the United States was that the South was still segregated.African Americans had been fighting

for equality for many years and desperately needed someone who would help them attain this.

Kennedy was big on desegregation, which could have been a reason he was assassinated. African

Americans were very angry over this very long fight for equality. Not only was the South still

segregated, our Asian policy was in shambles. This left Kennedy having the pick up the pieces

and create a new policy. America was also having problems with the Soviets. Soviet leader,

Nikita Khrushchev, boasted about burying the US (Brinkley). The United States problems with

the Soviet Union, was a hot topic because of the Cold War. The United States was in a huge

arms struggle with the Soviet Union, mainly because of the Cuban Missile Crisis. The American

people feared communism and thus the Soviet Union. Other nations also needed our help. New

African nations in dire need of American aid (Brinkley).These nations could not take care of

themselves, and needed the US to step in and keep together their government. When Kennedy

went into office he was set up for failure, but expected to have success. All of the problems

bubbling in the united states gave the new President challenges that were difficult to overcome.

To some degree, he had the success he was striving for.

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On November 22, 1963, Lee Harvey Oswald changed the lives of Americans forever.

Though many are still not convinced that Oswald murdered Kennedy, his background suggested

otherwise. Oswald was described as sour odor of a man. He brought pain to many and

happiness to none (Powers). Oswalds childhood school life was very difficult considering he

was dyslexic. Therefore, he did poorly in school.Oswald spent most of his life trying to find his

place.He spent a part of his life in the Soviet Union. Which is why many people think he is

involved with kennedy's assassination.The same year that Oswald killed Kennedy he had another

cry for attention In Dallas in April of 1963 Oswald shot Maj. Gen. Edwin Walker (Powers).

This for Oswald is just another scream for attention he had been long seeking.This alone gives

Oswald the background to kill John F. Kennedy because he is already familiar of what it takes to

shoot someone. Oswald worked at the printing company, that was oddly close to the sight of

assassination. After he was fired from the company he bought a mail order rifle. Many people

believe that the only real reason that Oswald killed Kennedy was because he wanted the attention

that it brought him. Some believe he sat in jail gathering the attribution he had been denied his

whole life (Powers). Everything that Oswald had done with his life was based on trying to grasp

the attention of an audience.The big question is, if he only wanted attention, then why Kennedy?

The answer is simple, It was the largest opportunity he had been offered.(Powers).

The details of Kennedy's assassination were foggy, due to the fact that not many

believed them to be true. Kennedy was shot in the head in Dallas, Texas next to his wife, Jackie.

They were driving down the street in a convertible during a parade. As soon as the shot was

fired, the President was rushed to Parkland Memorial Hospital. As soon as he was pronounced

dead, the government had to act fast with an emergency inauguration. Vice President Lyndon B.
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Johnson had to be sworn in as President on the Air Force One before the plane took off to head

back to D.C. Johnson was considered qualified for the job considering the fact that he had been

involved in politics most of his adult life. America could never quite get over the shock of the

assassination to fully support Johnson. Their young vibrant and inspiring president had been

replaced, by Johnson.

The biggest impact on America was the amount of conspiracy theories that came from

this tragedy. The main reason that these theories were created was because the government never

really provided a solid answer to what happened to John F Kennedy that day or why.

Not just Americans created stories to try to explain the event. A British writer believed Oswald

had been replaced by a Soviet look-alike (Powers). The conspiracy theory that brought the most

controversy was the magic bullet theory. Almost no one believed this story. Three members of

the Warren Commission expressed doubt for the single bullet theory (Lallanilla). The Warren

commission was a commission created by Johnston to try to find an explanation for Kennedy's

assassination.The magic bullet theory is the theory that one bullet hit three times. Even though

the Warren Commission's findings supported the magic bullet theory it was still hard to believe.

Robert Kennedy stated the Warren Report was a shoddy piece of craftsmanship (Lallanilla).

Critics of the Dealey Plaza investigation and Warren Report were convinced the full story of

what happened to JFK was never told. Many Americans even now many years later are still

clinging to the idea that Oswald didn't act alone. 61% of Americans believe the killing was a

result of a still undetermined conspiracy theory (Lallanilla). Most witness of this teachers even

question about how many shots were fired in contrast to the single bullet theory. Many
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organizations are tied to his death such as: the CIA, the FBI, Army intelligence, the Mafia, Cuba,

and the Dallas police. Sadly, Americans will likely never get the answer they are looking for.

America took a turn in many directions the day that JFK was killed. Jack Ruby killed

Oswald the day he was supposed to go to Jail. This denied Americans of the full story of why he

did what he did, or if he had done what he was accused of or if he had help. Many people who

had written books on the assassination had looked at evidence the was previously unseen. Many

books were written on Oswald's life and the shooting, but none of them provided the most

important information that Americans were still seeking- who killed JFK and why? Blind and

meaningless contiguity is a great explanation for a national trauma. This tragedy changed the

way people thought one american, Michael Spector, stated, I think his death had an effect on

who I am, I guess the skepticism that was burned in me the day Oswald was shot in the basement

colored every political thought I've had ever since (Spector). To many Americans,the Kennedys

were extremely important to culture in the sixties, so when JFK was killed it shocked them.

Americans had a very positive view of the Kennedys. They were American royalty, My mother

still has the Life magazines of the wedding and the assassination (Spector). For some

Americans this is a day they will never forget. They remember clearly where they were and what

they were doing, when they heard the news of the assassination. Michael Spector states, He can

remember with precision the events of the day Kennedy died. He was about to take the driving

exam when he heard the news, he was so shaken he fails (Spector).

If Oswald hadn't shoot Kennedy, America wouldn't have been left with a lasting distrust

in the government.The American people also would have never been taught to take a closer look

at everything that is given to them. Oswald made America take a huge turn. After the
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assassination, a new President came into power, conspiracy theories came about, and americans

are left with unsatisfactory answers.All in All, America will never get the truth about this horrific

event.

Works Cited

Brinkley Douglas, What he did for his country?, October 24,1993, New York New York, New

York Times Company, Proquest.

Lallanilla Marc, What is the Single Bullet Theory?, November 20,2013, Livescience.

Nation Mary Beth, Carol Cheriff, David M Katzmag, David M blight, Fredrick k Togual, Beth

Baily, A People and A Nation: History of the United States, Boston NY, Houghton

Mifflin company, 8th.

Specter Michael, Explosive Imagery of JFK, December 23,1991, New York,NY, New York

Times, Proquest.

Powers Thomas, The mind of the assassin, April 30,1995 New York, New York, New York

Times, Proquest.
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The Effect of Kennedy's Assassination on

America

By:Ariel Spatafore