Why was Kennedy Killed?

Introduction

People's reputation is a very critical issue that is found in all cultures among all different classes and professions. Politicians are more liable to have arguments regarding their reputation more than others as their lives are full of incidents and events that cause big changes to different peoples in different countries. Politicians' lives can participate in establishing communities and destroying others and that's why it is important to study the real circumstances of politicians' lives and see if the reputation argued about them is true or not. In this assignment, reputation of John Kennedy will be discussed from many sides so as to learn more abut the life of the thirty fifth president of the United States of America. Kennedy was a character that most arguments were spreading about his life and death were significant and arouse many questions and that's why his reputation is discussed with relevant issues such as myth and fact, historical interpretations regarding his life and checking historical evidence about such information and interpretations.

Body

John Kennedy (1917-1963) was the thirty fifth president of USA and had great reputation during and after his period of ruling America. He came from an Irish American family that was rich and had political interests. He received good education from Harvard University and in 1946 he began to engage in the world of politics to be a Democrat then a Senate in 1952. When he was at the age of forty three, he became the president of the USA and he was the youngest president at that time. His reputation showed that he was a successful president but many voices assured his having love affairs although his wife Jackie was adding good background for him as a politician and a president. He had a good reputation as a president who defended and added many aspects to civil rights of black Americans in addition to doing many reforms for his country insides. He was also known with causing tension in Cold War. His death shared a lot in forming his reputation as his assassination by a sniper shot in Texas aroused many questions about his life, conspiracy theory was the most prevailing idea regarding his death by most Americans at that time and till today. Some other opinions suggested that his killer Oswald was not sent by a group or was not included in a conspiracy but alone he killed Kennedy by himself as a result for being crazy or for killing love. Till today, Kennedy's death is still a mystery. (BBC history)

Historical interpretations which are usually different shared in constructing John Kennedy's reputation yet not all historical interpretations must be true, perhaps some personal attitudes and views may affect such interpretations which is a thing that needs much research. He had a good acceptance among the public as a beloved character famous for his humanity and the American movie dealt with his life due to the public attraction to such works yet his personal life left great passive impacts on the writings of many historians and political critics. John Sillito who is a historian at the Weber State University has discussed the life of John Kennedy and concluded some historical interpretations about him as being a good model for new modern generations as he did not give much interest to businessmen in the white house but his all interest was on the intellectuals. His communication abilities were appreciated by another historian called Branden Little and he said that Kennedy exerted great efforts to give a youthful background for the white house to be approved by all Americans. Eric Swedin, another historian had different opinions about Kennedy as he mentioned that Kennedy was a playboy whose reputation as a man that had sexual affairs and the way he was killed gave him much interest from the public which gave him more deep dimensions to be added to his life. Swdin commented on his death as the conspiracy theories around his death were made by people to give more importance to his death as people loved him and wished him to have a great end. (Valkenburg, 2013)

Historian opinions and interpretations must have evidences so as not to turn to be rumors or gossip, they have to search, analyze and prove what they are talking about. Having a reputation of a betrayal husband was and still is a significant thing about Kennedy with few evidences as the president had people to protect him from media although it is said that he did not care, it was said that the director of the FBI, J. Edgar Hoover monitored and protected Kennedy from the media and newspapers but his relationship with Judith Campbell was very famous as the woman had relations with Mafia men. (McElrath, 2014) Yet on the other hand there are evidences on his being a faithful good president working for the welfare of his country and shared a lot in improving its economics after having bankrupts and suffer unemployment of the youth, an evidence for the love of his people is the museum built at the place of his assassination and visited by about 350,000 person yearly and people from everywhere in the world write great words about Kennedy as a great president who was very human. Another evidence is his success in managing the crisis of  the Cuban missile in 1962 and he held an agreement for peace with the Soviet Union and enhanced better relationships with Moscow in addition to his speeches to relax the cold war with the Soviet Union at his time which was a short time of three years only. ( BRINKLEY, 2013)

The life of Kennedy was accompanied by many myth stories and they increased after his being murdered in a severe way and those myth may have original facts related to them or they are a result of exaggerated imaginative ideas by some people or media channels. Among these myth stories is the perplexing ideas about his being liberal or conservative as it is said that he was a conservative because he was a man of decisions that he respected as well as his attitudes in the Bay of the Pigs as he declared his complete responsibility of the failure. His situation for calling for peace with the Soviet Union was seen at sometimes as liberal but some authors and historians see it as an intelligent act to avoid a nuclear war such as the opinions of the historian Robert Dallek who published a book about some raised questions about Kennedy as a myth. Perhaps his love affairs of women such as Judith Campbell and Merlin Monroe made people see him as a liberal or perhaps he had liberal brothers so people and historian referred to him as a liberal and truth is still a mystery just like the mystery of his death which also became a myth.(Cooper, 2013)

It is different to refer to historian opinions and to public myth that are spread among people with no evidences as historian myth must be supported by evidences whatever they were convincing people. It is said that John Kennedy himself was a myth, the myth of the great president ad leader that the way he was murdered gave him many additional great characteristics and a sense of mystery which made people think of conspiracy theories and other issues regarding him. It was proved by historians that he had management abilities that helped him solve many problems such as the problem with the Soviet Union and the nuclear war. It is important to seek evidences when referring to myth but sometimes people make a myth without any base and historian opinions are sought here to make sure of what is true and what is fake. Although most historian recorded Kennedy as a playboy and a president who does not deserve all the myth called about him, the fact is that he has an audience everywhere in the world and he had made many good things to the United States of America which made him a myth to all Americans in spite of many historians opinions. (Loftus, 2013)

Conclusion

Reputation of people is a very important matter specially when they are famous and politicians' reputations always arouse many questions about them, their lives, what they presented to their people, their family life and facts about their life and death. John Kennedy was one of the most beloved characters in politics and he had a very great fame which affected his reputations in many points, he was seen by some historians as a playboy with various love affairs which reduced his value in politics' field and others saw him as a great leader, a man of the word who respected his decisions ad was responsible for any thing he did. Movies and books were made to record his life and these works pictured him as a myth and a hero which is a matter that is not agreed by many people and many historians and at the same time agreed by others.   

References 

• BBC history, http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/people/john_f_kennedy

• McElrath, 2014. An Unfaithful Husband Jessica, http://www.netplaces.com/john-f-kennedy/the-personal-side-of-john-f-kennedy/an-unfaithful-husband.htm
• Valkenburg, 2013,  Nancy Van, Standard Examiner Staff.  http://www.standard.net/stories/2013/11/21/three-weber-state-historians-dissect-jfks-legacy
• BRINKLEY, 2013, Alan, The Legacy of John F. Kennedy. http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2013/08/the-legacy-of-john-f-kennedy/309499/

• Cooper, 2013, Elise, John F. Kennedy: Conservative? American Thinker. http://www.americanthinker.com/2013/11/john_f_kennedy_conservative.html

• Loftus, 2013, Geoff, JFK: Myth Or Great Leader? Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/sites/geoffloftus/2013/11/20/jfk-myth-or-great-leader/