i;'/ l( i: r\j i.l i: -f I i i . \.il/r1 I i-i i i

NAVEr#gEn 84, AA8&gt

In the days immediately after 9/11,Americans in large numbers showedup at the John F. Kennedy Library andMuseum in Boston, apparentlyIooking for strength and hope at a timeof national peril and sorrow. Theywere drawn in particular to a filmrecounting the Cuban missile crisis,when Kennedy guided the nation

to through a confrontation with theSoviet Union that could easily have ledto nuclear war. Many visitors seemedcomforted by the idea that prudentleadership and common sense couldmake all the difference, even in theworst of times.

The fact that Kennedy still has sucha hold on America's imagination comesas no surprise to historians and other

z0 observers of popular culture. Thisconnection will become even moreapparent in the coming weeks as thenation marks the 40th anniversary ofhis assassination, on Nov22, 1963.

Yet the reasons for his mystique areless clear, The fact that he wasassassinated in the prime of life goesonly so far in explaining it. President'sfilliam McKinley, another popular

ao leader, was murdered in 1901, but hisdeath generated no vast outpouring ofemotion and no enduring sense of alost legacy. In contrast, millions ofAmericans still recall where they rverewhen they heard that Kennedy had

been shot. (I was attending historyclass at St. Rose High School inBelmar, NJ., when the principal cameon the public-address system and,

ao choking back tears, told us what hadhappened. Everyone marched to ournearby church, and we spent the nextfew hours praying lor the president!survival and, a bit later, his soul.) S$

\We all seem to have vivid memoriesof his funeral, carried on live television,with those unforgettable images of hisgrieving widow and his young sonsaluting smartly when his fathert

to cortege passed by."Kennedy is frozen in our memory

at age 46," says historian RobertDallek, author of An Unfinished Life:John F. Kennedy 1917-1963, "Peopledon't realize that this past May 29 hewould have been 86 years of age."

Some deft PR by the'W'hite Househelped to create his charismatic aura inthe first place. He and his advisers

eo quickly grasped the power of the newmedium of television, and thehandsome, eloquent young leaderquickly mastered it and went on toconvey an image of optimism andcharm that still surrounds him today.His performances at live pressconferences are remembered as toursde force. His speeches are used as

brilliant examples of political70 comrnunication. And if his legislative

!ltry2rj?!w2 -..*,,'ryass!N!*#4Jrt$!,i'11!?qt:.]!Jw r*F* n:64r.f]'3'i11.

record fellshort, his ideas aboutending the Cold'War and achievingracial equality at home, at least underthe law, eventually took root andbecame reality. ,i.r

Further, his glamorous rvife,Jacqueline, reinforced the excitingimage of Camelot, especially incontrast to his solid but dull

so predecessor, Drvight Eisenhorver. Ikehad been the oldesr man to serve as

president up until that time; Kennedyrvas the youngest ever elected to theoffice. The'$7hite House never letanyone forget it.

"One of the things PresidentKennedy did was instill in theAmerican people the idea they couldmake a difference," says Deborah Lef[

9o director oF the Kennedy Library andMuseum. ". . . It was a tilne lvhen yousarv America striving to be its best."

For his part, Kenncdy said in one ofhis famous speeches, at AmcricanUniversityonJune 10, 1963: "Noproblem of human destiny is beyondhuman bcings. Man's reason and spirithave olten soh'ed rhe seeminglyunsolvable-and we believe thel' 6xn

too do it again."The tragic Kennedy mythology rvas

reinforced when his brother Robertrvas assassinated in 1968 and, later,u'hen his son, John F. KennedyJr.,died in a plane crash in 1999. All ofthis perpetuated the idea that theKennedys, despite all their advantages,were not immune from life's calamities.'fhis deepened their connection to the

tto rest of us.Yet Kennedy governed prior to the

age of cynicisrn brought on by theVietnam tVar, the X/atergate scandal,

and the rvrenching social changes ofthe past four decades (including, ofcourse, his orvn assassination). Perhapsnot even Kennedy could have etnergedfrom this era unscathed had he livedand remained in public life.

120 "The sudden end to Kennedyt lifeand presidency has left us withtantalizing'might have beens,"' Dallekrvrites. "Yet even setting these asideand acknorvledging some missedopportunities and false steps, it mustbe acknorvledged that the Kennedythousand days spoke ro the countrytbetter angels, inspired visions of a lessdivisive nation and world, and

t30 demonstrated that America was stillthe last best hope of mankind." It isalegacy any president rvould beproud of.

O r963 Bill Mauldin. Reprinted with specialpermission from the Chicago Sun-Times,lnc. zoo4.

ffi

“Special Report” Questions

1. Recall: What facts did you learn from the article “Special Report” that you did not learn from the short story “American History”?

2. Summarize: What were Kenneth Walsh’s personal experiences on the day of President Kennedy’s assassination?

3. Synthesis: What does the political cartoon add to your understanding of how Kennedy’s loss affected the nation? Explain.

4. Author’s Purpose: a. Determine what point the author is trying to make.b. Record the most important quotes from the article.c. Now, based on the quotes, determine why the author is making that point—author’s purpose.d. Finally, how do the quotations you recorded support the purpose you identified?

Synthesis: Based on details in “American History,” “Special Report,” and the photograph, how do you think the majority of Americans reacted to the news of President Kennedy’s death? Support your response with evidence from all three sources.