By the fall of 1963, President John F. Kennedy and his political advisers were
preparing for the next presidential campaign. Although he had not formally
announced his candidacy, it was clear that President Kennedy was going to run
and he seemed confident about his chances for re-election.
At the end of September, the president traveled west, speaking in nine different
states in less than a week. The trip was meant to put a spotlight on natural
resources and conservation efforts. But JFK also used it to sound out
themes—such as education, national security, and world peace—for his run in
1964.
Crowds of excited people lined the streets and waved to the Kennedys. The car turned
off Main Street at Dealey Plaza around 12:30 p.m. As it was passing the Texas
School Book Depository, gunfire suddenly reverberated in the plaza.
Bullets struck the president's neck and head and he slumped over toward Mrs. Kennedy.
The governor was also hit in the chest.
The car sped off to Parkland Memorial Hospital just a few minutes away. But
little could be done for the President. A Catholic priest was summoned to
administer the last rites, and at 1:00 p.m. John F. Kennedy was pronounced
dead. Though seriously wounded, Governor Connally would recover.
The president's body was brought to Love Field and placed on Air
Force One.
Before the plane took off, a grim-faced Lyndon B. Johnson stood in the tight,
crowded compartment and took the oath of office, administered by U.S. District
Court Judge Sarah Hughes. The brief ceremony took place at 2:38 p.m.
Less than an hour earlier, police had arrested Lee Harvey Oswald, a recently hired
employee at the Texas School Book Depository. He was being held for the
assassination of President Kennedy and the fatal shooting, shortly afterward,
of Patrolman J. D. Tippit on a Dallas street.
Impact
The assassination of JFK led to help coming to the civil rights movementbecause it put
LBJ in the White House. JFK himself was in favor of civil rights, but he was not very
effective at working with Congress to get legislation passed.
On the other hand, LBJ was a master at pushing
legislation through Congress. Also, LBJ was probably more committed to civil
rights than was JFK, so Johnson may have pushed the limits more than JFK was
able or willing to. Kennedy supported the Civil Rights Bill, but he couldn't get
it through Congress. When Johnson became president, he did a lot of arm twisting
and politicking in Congress and he got the legislation passed as the Civil
Rights Act of 1964.
Johnson was a complex and flawed man. He was
overbearing and arrogant, but he was also very insecure. He escalated the war in
Vietnam on the flimsiest of grounds and caused the deaths of hundreds of
thousands of Americans and Vietnamese during his terms in office. I could go on,
but read it for yourself in the sources I've listed below.
LBJ was committed to end racism and he made the greatest progress of all of the
presidents except, perhaps, Lincoln.
preparing for the next presidential campaign. Although he had not formally
announced his candidacy, it was clear that President Kennedy was going to run
and he seemed confident about his chances for re-election.
At the end of September, the president traveled west, speaking in nine different
states in less than a week. The trip was meant to put a spotlight on natural
resources and conservation efforts. But JFK also used it to sound out
themes—such as education, national security, and world peace—for his run in
1964.
Crowds of excited people lined the streets and waved to the Kennedys. The car turned
off Main Street at Dealey Plaza around 12:30 p.m. As it was passing the Texas
School Book Depository, gunfire suddenly reverberated in the plaza.
Bullets struck the president's neck and head and he slumped over toward Mrs. Kennedy.
The governor was also hit in the chest.
The car sped off to Parkland Memorial Hospital just a few minutes away. But
little could be done for the President. A Catholic priest was summoned to
administer the last rites, and at 1:00 p.m. John F. Kennedy was pronounced
dead. Though seriously wounded, Governor Connally would recover.
The president's body was brought to Love Field and placed on Air
Force One.
Before the plane took off, a grim-faced Lyndon B. Johnson stood in the tight,
crowded compartment and took the oath of office, administered by U.S. District
Court Judge Sarah Hughes. The brief ceremony took place at 2:38 p.m.
Less than an hour earlier, police had arrested Lee Harvey Oswald, a recently hired
employee at the Texas School Book Depository. He was being held for the
assassination of President Kennedy and the fatal shooting, shortly afterward,
of Patrolman J. D. Tippit on a Dallas street.
Impact
The assassination of JFK led to help coming to the civil rights movementbecause it put
LBJ in the White House. JFK himself was in favor of civil rights, but he was not very
effective at working with Congress to get legislation passed.
On the other hand, LBJ was a master at pushing
legislation through Congress. Also, LBJ was probably more committed to civil
rights than was JFK, so Johnson may have pushed the limits more than JFK was
able or willing to. Kennedy supported the Civil Rights Bill, but he couldn't get
it through Congress. When Johnson became president, he did a lot of arm twisting
and politicking in Congress and he got the legislation passed as the Civil
Rights Act of 1964.
Johnson was a complex and flawed man. He was
overbearing and arrogant, but he was also very insecure. He escalated the war in
Vietnam on the flimsiest of grounds and caused the deaths of hundreds of
thousands of Americans and Vietnamese during his terms in office. I could go on,
but read it for yourself in the sources I've listed below.
LBJ was committed to end racism and he made the greatest progress of all of the
presidents except, perhaps, Lincoln.