History Lesson 135 Essay
By Caitlin
1. President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th president, was one of the most beloved presidents of the United States. He founded NASA, he was the president when the Bay of Pigs invasion happened and when the Berlin Wall was built, he fought communism and was assassinated when he was just 46, making him one of the four presidents to be assassinated while in office.
2. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts. He was the first president to be born in the 20th century. His parents were wealthy Catholics. He had eight siblings and most of them went on to be national figures. He was a poor student and almost failed latin because he wasn’t interested. His favorite subjects were History and English. He went to Harvard in 1936. After a while he realized what he could do if he actually applied himself to his studies and soon was studying hard. His family position and exceptional oratory skills allowed him to meet with many leaders from Europe and the Middle East. He graduated in 1940. He joined the Navy soon after and was given command over a patrol torpedo boat. He badly hurt his back and was honorably discharged after earning a Navy and Marine Corps Medal and a Purple Heart. Joseph Kennedy, who was his older brother, died when his plane blew up in 1944. When John F. Kennedy was 29, he decided to run for president. He was elected in 1946, becoming the 35th president of the United States. He was assassinated in 1963 while he was in Dallas. he was riding in an open roof car when he was suddenly shot. The man who was arrested was Lee Harvey Oswald. John Fitzgerald Kennedy was one of the four presidents ever to be assassinated.
3. The Berlin Wall was a wall that separated the east side of Berlin from the west side of Berlin. The people in East Berlin were all fleeing to the democratic West Berlin that the Soviets decided to build a wall to keep the people from escaping. It was built on August 16, 1931. The demolition of the wall began on June 30, 1990, because travel between East and West Berlin was finally permitted, and was finished 2 years later. The wall, because of its significance, became a symbol of the Cold War.
4. Cuba had also went through a Communist revolution. Since the United States were worried that it placed Communism too close to America, they decided to send troops there to incite a rebellion and overthrow the Communists. The plans to do that led to an invasion in 1961 at the Bay of Pigs where 1,500 United States soldiers were taken prisoner in 2 days. It was a big and embarrassing incident for the United States. President John F. Kennedy had to negotiate pretty hard to get all the prisoners back.
5. The Space Race was the unofficial contest between the United States and Russia (who were Communists) to see who was more advanced in the world of rockets and satellites. The Russians were the first to put a working satellite into orbit. The government wasn’t troubled about this, but it worried many Americans, and they started thinking about what else the Russians could do. The satellite that the United States tried to launch didn’t make it, so J.F.K. founded NASA and gave it the task of getting ahead of the Russians. In 1911 NASA landed the Apollo 11 on the moon, which is kind of weird, because Apollo is the Greek sun god, but whatever. Neil Armstrong, one of the astronauts on the Apollo 11, was the first man to set foot on the moon. He first said the famous saying “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”.
6. John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s decisions made an impact on the world that still lasts today. He will be remembered as one of the best United States Presidents. Many people still miss his days of presidency. And that is some of the events in the life of John F. Kennedy. The End.
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The Bountiful Pen 