The Impact of the Assassination of John F. Kennedy on the United States
There are many contending theories and views about the historical and political impact and aftermath of the death of John F. Kennedy. These various perceptions range from the common view that his death was a blow to democracy and peace in the county and resulted in the escalation of the Vietnam conflict; to opposing views that his legacy was the increase of American military imperialism and cold war aggression. These views will be discussed in this paper. However, if we are to focus on the impact of the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the importance that this had of the country per se, then the discussion should be more on the cultural and ideological implications that followed immediately after the death of the president. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy was one of the most traumatic social episodes and cultural disasters of the last century in the United States. The death of the President of America should also be seen in the context of the fact that it took place during the Cold War and there was a great degree of fear and suspicion that the assassination was linked to Soviet aggression. The following quotation encapsulates some of the tension and trauma that people in the country felt at the time.
This latter aspect can be seen in his promotion of the space program. The point is also emphasized in many studies that the direct and immediate impact of the assassination was a social and cultural loss of a symbol and an ideal. "The outpouring of grief which resulted from Kennedy's death was directed at something less tangible than foreign policy or domestic bills. " (Schwab, and Shneidman 162) The above study claims that this attitude prepared the ground for the present polices that dominate the political thinking in the country. People began to huddle around radios and TVs for the latest bulletins. "Instead of building the infrastructure necessary for sustained space exploration, as a space station would have done, JFK committed the nation to an expensive sprint to the Moon as a demonstration of American technological virtuosity, but ultimately it was a demonstration that had little application beyond its propaganda value. he first hour after the shooting, before Kennedy's death was announced, was a time of great confusion. The national soul embodied in the memory of the youthful, vigorous and valiant J. Among the studies and books that have questioned the conventional view of Kennedy and his heroic qualities are The Dark Side of Camelot by Seymour Hersh and A Question of Character by Thomas Reeves. A dominant theme in the literature about the assassination and its aftermath is that in many respects American society and culture changed.
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