Photo Essay: Remembering President John F. Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963)

 23 November, 1963 : President Kennedy’s wife and daughter kneel at the casket as the President’s body lies in state in the Rotunda of the Capitol Building. Photo credit: Abbie Rowe, National Park Service / John Fitzgerald Kennedy Library, Boston.

On November 22, 1963, when he was hardly past his first thousand days in office, John Fitzgerald Kennedy was killed by an assassin’s bullets as his motorcade wound through Dallas, Texas. Kennedy was the youngest man elected President; he was the youngest to die.

Of Irish descent, he was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, on May 29, 1917. Graduating from Harvard in 1940, he entered the Navy. In 1943, when his PT boat was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer, Kennedy, despite grave injuries, led the survivors through perilous waters to safety.

Back from the war, he became a Democratic Congressman from the Boston area, advancing in 1953 to the Senate. He married Jacqueline Bouvier on September 12, 1953. In 1955, while recuperating from a back operation, he wrote “Profiles in Courage”, which won the Pulitzer Prize in history.

23 November, 1963: President Kennedy’s casket lies in state in the East Room of the White House, attended by two members of the honor guard. Photo credit: Abbie Rowe/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston. Scanned from original file print.

In 1956 Kennedy almost gained the Democratic nomination for Vice President, and four years later was a first-ballot nominee for President. Millions watched his television debates with the Republican candidate, Richard M. Nixon. Winning by a narrow margin in the popular vote, Kennedy became the first Roman Catholic President.

22 November, 1963: President Kennedy reaches out to the crowd gathered at the Hotel Texas Parking Lot Rally in Fort Worth, TX,. Photo credit: Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

John F. Kennedy was sworn in as the 35th President on January 20, 1961. In his inaugural speech he spoke of the need for all Americans to be active citizens. “Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country,” he said. He also asked the nations of the world to join together to fight what he called the “common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.” President Kennedy, together with his wife and two children, brought a new, youthful spirit to the White House. The Kennedys believed that the White House should be a place to celebrate American history, culture, and achievement. They invited artists, writers, scientists, poets, musicians, actors, and athletes to visit them. Jacqueline Kennedy also shared her husband’s interest in American history. Gathering some of the finest art and furniture the United States had produced, she restored all the rooms in the White House to make it a place that truly reflected America’s history and artistic creativity. Everyone was impressed and appreciated her hard work.

14 March, 1961: President Kennedy meeting with His Highness the Aga Khan, 49th Imam of the Ismaili Muslims and direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad (s.a.s) at the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C.

13 July, 1961: President John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson with Pakistan’s President Mohammad Ayub Khan at the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. Photo credit: Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

The White House also seemed like a fun place because of the Kennedys’ two young children, Caroline and John-John. There was a pre-school, a swimming pool, and a tree-house outside on the White House lawn. President Kennedy was probably the busiest man in the country, but he still found time to laugh and play with his children.

However, the President also had many worries. One of the things he worried about most was the possibility of nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union. He knew that if there was a war, millions of people would die. Since World War II, there had been a lot of anger and suspicion between the two countries but never any shooting between Soviet and American troops. This ‘Cold War’, which was unlike any other war the world had seen, was really a struggle between the Soviet Union’s communist system of government and the United States’ democratic system. Because they distrusted each other, both countries spent enormous amounts of money building nuclear weapons. There were many times when the struggle between the Soviet Union and the United States could have ended in nuclear war, such as in Cuba during the 1962 missile crisis or over the divided city of Berlin.

23 October, 1962 President Kennedy signs the Proclamation for Interdiction of the Delivery of Offensive Weapons to Cuba. White House, Oval Office. Photograph by Cecil Stoughton, White House, in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

President Kennedy worked long hours, getting up at seven and not going to bed until eleven or twelve at night, or later. He read six newspapers while he ate breakfast, had meetings with important people throughout the day, and read reports from his advisers. He wanted to make sure that he made the best decisions for his country. “I am asking each of you to be new pioneers in that New Frontier,” he said. The New Frontier was not a place but a way of thinking and acting. President Kennedy wanted the United States to move forward into the future with new discoveries in science and improvements in education, employment and other fields. He wanted democracy and freedom for the whole world.

9 August, 1962: 633 Peace Corps trainees preparing in the Washington area for overseas assignments visited President Kennedy on the south lawn of the White House. The President welcomed the trainees with special pleasure because they had “committed themselves to a great adventure.” He repeated his hope that Peace Corps Volunteers would return to careers of service in the Government. After informal conversation with the trainees, the President on the spur of the moment ordered a special tour of the White House for the trainees. Photograph by Rowland Scherman, Peace Corps, in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

One of the first things President Kennedy did was to create the Peace Corps. Through this program, which still exists today, Americans can volunteer to work anywhere in the world where assistance is needed. They can help in areas such as education, farming, health care, and construction. Many young men and women have served as Peace Corps volunteers and have won the respect of people throughout the world.

President Kennedy was also eager for the United States to lead the way in exploring space. The Soviet Union was ahead of the United States in its space program and President Kennedy was determined to catch up. He said, “No nation which expects to be the leader of other nations can expect to stay behind in this race for space.” Kennedy was the first President to ask Congress to approve more than 22 billion dollars for Project Apollo, which had the goal of landing an American man on the moon before the end of the decade. Photo credit: Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

President Kennedy had to deal with many serious problems in the United States. The biggest problem of all was racial discrimination. The U.S. Supreme Court had ruled in 1954 that segregation in public schools would no longer be permitted. Black and white children, the decision mandated, should go to school together. This was now the law of the land. However, there were many schools, especially in southern states, that did not obey this law. There was also racial segregation on buses, in restaurants, movie theaters, and other public places.

A rare portrait of Julius K. Nyerere, President of Tanganyika (Tanzania). He is wearing traditional African dress with a medal around his neck. He stands in front of an ornately carved wood door flanked by two floral arrangements. The photograph is in a silver frame. Historical Note: This photograph was presented to President John F. Kennedy by Julius K. Nyerere, Prime Minister of Tanganyika (1961), President of Tanzania (1964-1985), during his state visit to the White House on July 15, 1963.

17 July, 1961: President John F. Kennedy is seen with Prime Minister Julius Nyerere of Tanganyika at the West Wing Colonnade, White House, Washington, D.C. Also in picture is Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs G. Mennen “Soapy” Williams. Photo credit: Robert Knudsen. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

20 February, 1961: President John F. Kennedy meets with Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker of Canada in the Oval Office, White House, Washington, D.C. (L-R) Seated: President Kennedy; Prime Minister Diefenbaker; Secretary of State for External Affairs of Canada Howard C. Green. (L-R) Standing: Secretary of State Dean Rusk; Canada Ambassador to the United States Arnold (A.D.P.) Heeney; United States Ambassador to Canada Livingston T. Merchant.Abbie Rowe. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston

President Kennedy’s Welcoming Remarks to Prime Minister Pearson of Canada,
at Otis Air Force Base, Falmouth, Massachusetts,10 May 1963

This photograph was given to President John F. Kennedy by Lester B. Pearson, Prime Minister of Canada (1963-1968), during his state visit to the White House on May 11, 1963. Click on audio link before photo to hear President Kennedy’s welcome address.

Thousands of Americans joined together, people of all races and backgrounds, to protest peacefully this injustice. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the famous leaders of the movement for civil rights. Many civil rights leaders didn’t think President Kennedy was supportive enough of their efforts. The President believed that holding public protests would only anger many white people and make it even more difficult to convince the members of Congress who didn’t agree with him to pass civil rights laws. By June 11, 1963, however,

June 22, 1963: Civil Rights Leader Martin Luther King, Jr. meeting with Robert F. Kennedy, President Kennedy’s younger brother. Martin Luther King, Jr and Robert Kennedy were also assassinated, both in 1968.

President Kennedy decided that the time had come to take stronger action to help the civil rights struggle. He proposed a new Civil Rights bill to the Congress, and he went on television asking Americans to end racism. “One hundred years of delay have passed since President Lincoln freed the slaves, yet their heirs, their grandsons, are not fully free,” he said. “This Nation was founded by men of many nations and backgrounds…[and] on the principle that all men are created equal.” President Kennedy made it clear that all Americans, regardless of their skin color, should enjoy a good and happy life in the United States.

The President is Shot

22 November, 1963: President Kennedy’s remains return from Dallas and are unloaded from Air Force One into a Navy Ambulance as Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy and many others and many others look on. Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. Photo credit: Cecil Stoughton. White House Photographs. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

On November 21, 1963, President Kennedy flew to Texas to give several political speeches. The next day, as his car drove slowly past cheering crowds in Dallas, shots rang out. Kennedy was seriously wounded and died a short time later. Within a few hours of the shooting, police arrested Lee Harvey Oswald and charged him with the murder. On November 24, another man, Jack Ruby, shot and killed Oswald, thus silencing the only person who could have offered more information about this tragic event. The Warren Commission was organized to investigate the assassination and to clarify the many questions which remained.

The Legacy of John F. Kennedy

24 November, 1963: Kennedy family members, including Robert F. Kennedy, Caroline Kennedy, First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, and John F. Kennedy, Jr. East leaving the Front Entrance of Capital Building, Washington, D.C. following memorial ceremony for President John F. Kennedy. Photo credit: Abbie Rowe, National Parks Service/John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

President Kennedy’s death caused enormous sadness and grief among all Americans as well as people around the world. Most people still remember exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news. Hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Washington for the President’s funeral, and millions throughout the world watched it on television.

23 August, 1962: President Kennedy addresses the AMVETS convention in New York City by telephone. White House, Oval Office. Photo credit: Abbie Rowe, National Park Service, in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.

As the years have gone by and other presidents have written their chapters in history, John Kennedy’s brief time in office stands out in people’s memories for his leadership, personality, and accomplishments. Many respect his coolness when faced with difficult decisions–like what to do about Soviet missiles in Cuba in 1962. Others admire his ability to inspire people with his eloquent speeches. Still others think his compassion and his willingness to fight for new government programs to help the poor, the elderly and the ill were most important. Like all leaders, John Kennedy made mistakes, but he was always optimistic about the future. He believed that people could solve their common problems if they put their country’s interests first and worked together.

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PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA PROCLAIMS NOVEMBER 22, 2013 AS DAY OF REMEMBRANCE
FOR PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY

“A half century ago, America mourned the loss of an extraordinary public servant. With broad vision and soaring but sober idealism, President John F. Kennedy had called a generation to service and summoned a Nation to greatness. Today, we honor his memory and celebrate his enduring imprint on American history. 

“In his 3 years as President of the United States, John F. Kennedy weathered some of the most perilous tests of the Cold War and led America to the cusp of a bright new age. His leadership through the Cuban Missile Crisis remains the standard for American diplomacy at its finest. In a divided Berlin, he delivered a stirring defense of freedom that would echo through the ages, yet he also knew that we must advance human rights here at home. During his final year in office, he proposed a civil rights bill that called for an end to segregation in America. And recognizing women’s basic right to earn a living equal to their efforts, he signed the Equal Pay Act into law. 

20 November, 2013: President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton participate in a wreath laying ceremony at the gravesite of President John F. Kennedy at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Va. Photo: credit: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

While President Kennedy’s life was tragically cut short, his vision lives on in the generations he inspired — volunteers who serve as ambassadors for peace in distant corners of the globe, scientists and engineers who reach for new heights in the face of impossible odds, innovators who set their sights on the new frontiers of our time. Today and in the decades to come, let us carry his legacy forward. Let us face today’s tests by beckoning the spirit he embodied — that fearless, resilient, uniquely American character that has always driven our Nation to defy the odds, write our own destiny, and make the world anew….

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim November 22, 2013, as a Day of Remembrance for President John F. Kennedy…..

Date posted: Friday, November 22, 2013.
Date updated: Saturday, November 23, 2013 (added excerpts from President Obama’s proclamation and audio of President Kennedy welcoming Canada’s Prime Minister Pearson).

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Material excerpted from the following sources:

1. John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, please visit John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
2. “The Presidents of the United States of America,” by Frank Freidel and Hugh Sidey. Copyright 2006 by the White House Historical Association.
3. The White House, please visit www.whitehouse.gov

Please also read From John F. Kennedy to Pierre E. Trudeau to Stephen E. Harper – A Selection of Photos and Videos of His Highness the Aga Khan with USA Presidents and Canadian Prime Ministers

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Do you remember the day when President Kennedy was assassinated? How did you and your country react? Please send in your feedback below or email it to simerg@aol.com.

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