Danka PesicSladjana Prvulovic

John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917. as the second of nine children of the entrepreneur and diplomat Joseph P. Kennedy (1888-1969) and his wife Mrs. Rose, b. Fitzgerald (1890-1995) in Brookline (Massachusetts/USA).

At age of three he was potentially life-threatening ill. Throughout his childhood he seemed to suffer from one ailment after another, and his family joked that if a mosquito bit Jack, it was almost sure to die.

JFK served as his father's secretary for six months in 1938. while Joseph was ambassador to Great Britain. The future president used his experience in Britain to write his thesis on why Great Britain was unprepared for war with Germany. It was later published as a book called Why England Slept. In June 1940, Jack graduated from Harvard

YOUTH

At age 14, John Kennedy (right)

The eight Kennedy children, 1928.

Soon after graduating, Joe and Jack joined the Navy.  John F. Kennedy had a crew of twelve men.  In 1943, Kennedy's PT boat was rammed and sunk. Despite being injured, he led his men to safety and even returned to active duty later in the war. JFK was awarded medals for heroism by the Marines and Navy for his actions.

Before the war, Jack had considered becoming a teacher or a writer.  But when the war finally ended, he chose to run for Congress in Massachusetts' eleventh congressional district, where he won in 1946. As the years went on, John F. Kennedy, a Democrat, served six years in the House of Representatives, and in 1952 he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

World War II and a Future in Politics

John F. Kennedy aboard the PT-109 in the South Pacific, 1943. 

   

Politics Soon after being elected senator, John F. Kennedy, at 36 years of age, married 24 year-

old Jacqueline Bouvier, a writer with the Washington Times-Herald. Early in their marriage, Senator Kennedy had two serious back operations. While recovering from surgery, he wrote a book about eight U.S. senators who had risked their careers to fight for the things they believed in. The book, called Profiles in Courage, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 1957. That same year, the Kennedys' first child, Caroline, was born.

In January 1960, Kennedy declared his intent to run for president. On July 13, 1960, the Democratic Party nominated him as its candidate. In the general election on November 8, 1960, Kennedy defeated the Republican Vice President Richard M. Nixon by two-tenths of one percent of the popular vote. At age 43, he was the youngest man elected president and the first Catholic. Less than three weeks after the election, the Kennedys' second child, John Jr., was born.

Wedding of Jacqueline Bouvier and John F. Kennedy, 12 September 1953.

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," he said, "ask what you can do for your country.“

Early in his administration, President Kennedy created the Peace Corps.  Through this program, which still exists today, more than two hundred thousand Americans have volunteered to aid people around the world in areas such as education, farming, health care, and construction.

President Kennedy was also determined that the United States would lead the way in exploring space.

Like other presidents of the Cold War era, Kennedy's main international concerns were containing the Soviet Union and the spread of communism.

President Kennedy promoted fairness in employment and housing. He issued an executive order directing federal agencies to end discrimination against women in hiring and promotions. He also ordered an end to racial discrimination.

President of the United States

Dr. Wernher von Braun, the NASA Director of the Marshall Space Flight Center, and President John F. Kennedy at Cape Canaveral, Florida on November 16, 1963.

On November 22, 1963. as his car drove slowly past cheering crowds in Dallas, Kennedy was mortally wounded and died a short time later. Within a few hours of the shooting, police arrested twenty-four-year-old Lee Harvey Oswald and charged him with the murder. 

Conspiracy theories sprang up overnight, and the new president, Lyndon Johnson, established the Warren Commission to investigate the assassination. The commission concluded that Oswald acted alone.

President Kennedy's death caused deep sadness and grief across the United States and around the world. To many Americans, John Kennedy was an inspiring leader, a statesman, and an effective president. 

The President Is Shot

25 November 1963  Funeral and Burial

Services for President Kennedy. 

Thank you for your attention!!!