While riding in an open car in Dallas, Texas, President John F. Kennedy was shot by Lee Harvey Oswald and pronounced dead upon arrival at a hospital on November 22, 1963. President Kennedy was the fourth president to be assassinated, following Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, and William McKinley, and was succeeded by Lyndon B. Johnson.
President Kennedy rode in a motorcade with his wife, Jacqueline Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally, and the governor’s wife, Nellie Connally through Dealey Plaza in Dallas en route to the Dallas Trade Mart for a luncheon. At 12:30 pm, the motorcade passed the Texas School Book Depository and witnesses reported hearing three shots. President Kennedy was fatally shot in the head and neck, and Governor Connally was seriously wounded, though he would eventually recover.
Lee Harvey Oswald, an employee at the depository, was reported missing by his supervisor. An hour after the shooting, Oswald was arrested for the murder of a Dallas police officer who had questioned Oswald in connection to the Kennedy assassination. Oswald denied his connection to both crimes, but was killed just two days later by Jack Ruby when he was being transported to the county jail.
Read John F. Kennedy’s letter to his parents, written while he was serving in World War II. What can we learn about Kennedy from his letter? Compare this letter to other letters by Kennedy.
RELATED: “JFK, LBJ, and the Fight for Equal Opportunity in the 1960s,” a lesson plan from EDsitement
Click here to sign up for our newsletter.Distinguished scholar-teachers Amy and Leon Kass demonstrate how short stories, speeches, and songs can be used to enhance civic education and how a pedagogical approach that stresses learning through inquiry can make primary sources come alive for students of all ages.
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