OH+Research

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was the 35th president of the United States of America. More commonly known as JFK, he served from 1961 to 1963, when it ended tragically by means of assassination. He was the only catholic, pulitzer prize winning, and the first president to be born in the 20th century. He had a plethora of situations on his plate to handle including: bay of pigs invasion, cuban missile crisis, Latin America and Communism, Peace Corps, south east asia, Israel, Iraq, Ireland, Nuclear test ban treaty, Civil Rights, Immigration, space race, and Native American Relations.

Early Life
 * John F. Kennedy was born May 29, 1917 in Massachusetts. He was the son of Rose Fitzgerald and Joseph P. Kennedy. In school he was always in his brother’s shadow thus causing rebellious behavior. Throughout his entire youth, he was riddled with various ailments. Various health problems deemed him to partake in enrollment to princeton, a huge ranch, and, finally, Harvard. In 1939 he went with his father overseas to help him with his ambassador duties. He then returned home and enrolled in the Stanford graduate school of business. In 1941, he was medically disqualified from the army, and signed up for the Naval reserve. Once pearl harbor occurred, he was assigned to, patrol torpedo, the PT-109. In 1943, his boat was struck by a Japanese destroyer, and he helped save his crew and get them to shore safely. He was honorably discharged in 1945, and acquired a job at Hearst Newspapers . He was a Congressman for 6 years. He served in the senate for 8 years, but was constantly ill and even received last rights. **


 * Presidency **


 * John F. Kennedy was elected to be the 35th president of the United States on January 20th, 1961. He is one of the top fifteen highest rated presidents of the US and was only 43 years old. Not only was he one of the youngest but he also was the only won to win the pulitzer prize. He was the first president born in the 20th century and was the only catholic president. There were many revolutionary events that went on during his presidency and they were not easy. Many of these events are well-known such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the building of the Berlin Wall, the Space Race, and the early stages of the Vietnam War. **


 * JFK’s Assasination **
 * On Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealy Plaza, Dallas, Texas, at 12:30 PM, Kennedy was fatally shot. Kennedy was travelling with his wife Jacqueline, Texas governor John Conally, and his wife Nellie, in a presidential motorcade.After a ten-month investigation it had finally come to the conclusion that Lee Harvey Oswald Harvey killed John F. Kennedy. So many were devastated by the assassination of their 4th president assassinated. One of those who were devastated was a man named Jack Ruby. Jack Ruby decided to act alone and kill Lee Oswald before he could even stand a trial. **


 * Legacy **
 * Most people remember where they were when JFK was assassinated. Thoughts of how it affected people were resurfaced during the Vietnam war. One of the most militaristic groups affected was the Special Forces, of which he helped rebuild. another reason why people were so connected is because of the confusion around his assassination. JFK also moved the farthest in civil rights than all of his predecessors. **