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Two Weeks in the Life of John F. Kennedy

Decent Essays

During the 1960s, the world was changing in significant ways. Big shifts were taking place, impacting the lives of citizens and altering the American way of life. However, it is easy to study that time period and only focus on those large changes, when, in the background, small, everyday things are taking place that play just as big a role. More specifically, when people look into the lives of presidents during the 1960s, they typically start at their big decisions, life–shattering speeches, and, if interesting enough, their deaths. Although this can be an effective way of seeing the big picture, it’s also important to zoom in and study the smaller things that took place. In the pages to follow, material will be given that carefully details two weeks in the life of President John F. Kennedy: November 8-22, 1963. Many big events do surround that time however, and it’s important to understand those before diving into the everyday business of Kennedy, because those circumstances sway his decisions, speeches, and meetings. The first thing that was going on in the world during that time, and one of the most significant, was the African-American civil rights movement. This was a movement, led primarily by African-American leaders, in an effort to establish the civil rights of black citizens. This movement began in the mid-1950s and, in 1963, was at its zenith. But along with the hope it brought for wrongly treated black citizens of America, came violence. One of the

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