1. Motivation

Everybody asked me why I decided to write about John F. Kennedy and his family and I answered: “For me it’s honourable to write about this special and famous personality!” For a long time I thought a lot about my term paper subject and in the end I took the 35^th president of the United States: John F. Kennedy! Many people write about him and for this reason I decided to include his family in my term paper, too. Maybe it was my old school called “John F. Kennedy School” which inspired me or John’s little daughter Caroline, whose name is like mine and last but not least a reason for my choice could be my address! Sure, it sounds a bit silly but while collecting material about John F. Kennedy I found out that the presidential motorcade passed the Elm Street as his murderer shot. I don’t know whether it’s only a chance or intuition but I live in Elm Street at my little village! Moreover Jackie Kennedy was a powerful, emancipated and ambitious woman and she sets an example to me! I like mystical tragedies and I hope that after completing my term paper I know everything about this charming, mysterious and popular family. 

 

2. Introduction

Do you like to read mystical stories or news about our celebrities? By reading the next pages you will learn important things about a special and strong family, whose life wasn’t always easy. They learned that life has to go on even if be loved person dies. Maybe the myth is true that there is a shadow over the whole family and that, above all, Kennedy men don’t get old.

Why was Jackie Kennedy so important for John? Are their children still alive? When did John and Jackie get married? What was a normal day for this family like? John F. Kennedy was the youngest president of the United States and during his presidency he and his family got loved by the public. They always smiled and seemed to be happy on their trips to important meetings.

On TV or in the newspapers the public could see photos where Caroline and John junior were playing below the desk of their father in the White House! Naturally everybody wanted to know private facts and probably we all want to learn more about them and their interesting story. Follow me on my exciting excursion to the history of John F. Kennedy’s family and discover new opinions! 

 

3. What about the Kennedys today?

Today a popular member of the Kennedy family is Arnold Schwarzenegger! He married Maria Shriver in 1986 and they got four children. Maria Shriver is a niece of John F. Kennedy and when Schwarzenegger became Governor of California in 2003 the political importance of the Kennedy family grew again. Another important member is Edward Moore Kennedy who is still alive. He is a younger brother of John! The people of Massachusetts elected “Ted” as their senator in 1962 and have again ever since then. Finally I don’t want to forget Caroline Kennedy she is the only one of John F. Kennedy’s family who has not had an accident or illness till today.  

 

3.1 John Fitzgerald Kennedy[1]

He was born on May 29, 1917 in Brookline and his family called him Jack. John was born into a rich, politically powerful Boston family of Irish-Catholics. His great-grandparents were immigrants from Ireland and came to America in 1849.[2] He grew up with eight brothers and sisters they enjoyed a privileged childhood with servants, private school and summer homes his career was repeatedly interrupted by chronic bouts of illness. Jack visited the Harvard College where he wrote a best-selling book. After leaving school in 1940 he volunteered for dangerous combat duty in the Pacific during World War II. He saved the lives of several comrades. This let him become a hero. For a while he worked as a journalist, and then John entered politics, serving in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1947 till 1953 and the U.S. Senate from 1953 to 1961. In 1951 he met Jacqueline Bouvier at a dinner. Later he said: “I leaned over my asparagus and asked her for a date!”[3] Two years later, on 12 September, they married and in 1957 they had their first child, Caroline. She was very important for John and gave him energy. As John got elected as president in 1960 John Jr. was born. Kennedy was not only the youngest U.S. President; he also was the first Roman Catholic who served in that office. Especially his father always wanted that his sons should enter politics. He said: “In this family we only want to see winner!”[4]Kennedy’s older brother Joseph Jr. died during the Second World War; therefore it was John’s turn to become a politician. For the public, his presidency came to represent the ascendance of youthful idealism. He personified hope, energy and peace. In the Cuba Crisis he was able to avoid a war against Russia. And in Berlin he showed he was on the side of freedom when he spoke the famous words:”Ich bin ein Berliner“. Unfortunately he couldn’t fulfil all his promises because after three years in office he was assassinated. His death shocked the whole world and till today nobody knows why he had to die because his presumed murderer died two days later. This was the second big loss for his father and the funeral was broadcast on TV. His shocking death stood at the beginning of political and social instability in the country and the world.

 

3.2. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

She was born as Jacqueline Jackie Lee Bouvier in 1929. Her father was rich and strict; that was why she enjoyed a good education. She visited a private girl’s school and later a popular university therefore she spoke French and Spanish fluently.[5] Jacqueline was like John quick-witted and cool. She was one of the most influential women of the twentieth century and an inspiration to people all over the world.[6] She wrote poems and stories. It was because of the divorce of her parents that “Jackie” was forced to develop an emotional strength that would serve her well in later years. Jackie visited Europe for one year. She wrote: “I learned not to be ashamed of a real hunger for knowledge, something I had always tried to hide.”[7] In 1951, after college, she took a job with the Washington Times-Herald as “The Inquiring Camera Girl”. In May she met John F. Kennedy at a dinner party in Washington and in June 1953, the engagement was officially announced. There were 750 popular invited guests at her wedding on September12, 1953 in Newport. The media called it “The Wedding of the Year”! Since then her life changed and she had to adapt herself to the new role of wife to one of the country’s most energetic political figures. Her new duties were to help Jack with his speeches, to take charge of his wardrobe and to attend political rallies and receptions. In 1956 Jackie became pregnant not long after her husband lost the candidacy for Vice President, Jackie’s baby was stillborn. On November 27, 1957, Jackie gave birth to a healthy baby girl: Caroline Bouvier Kennedy. With the birth of Caroline, Jackie realized her desire for a stable home life for her husband and new baby. Jackie joined Jack as he began his campaign for President of the United States in 1960. She spoke Spanish in New York City, French in Eau Clair, Italian in Syracuse and even a smattering Polish in Milwaukee until she became pregnant again. On November 25, 1960, after Jack’s election, John F. Kennedy Junior was born. Jackie had a lot of work to do because she was mother, wife and, most important, the First Lady! In Jackie’s role as First Lady she was determined to make the White House a living museum of history. She proudly displayed the results of the restoration by guiding Americans on a television tour of the White House! Jackie wanted the White House to represent the best of what America had to offer for example: Shakespeare readings, balletic performances and musical recitals. The assassination of her husband happened; Jackie was a pillar of strength not only for her family or friends but for the nation as well. In 1964, she moved to New York to escape the memories of Washington. Shortly after the assassination of her brother-in-law Bobby Kennedy, in 1968, she married the wealthy Greek businessman, Aristotle Onassis. During the following years Jackie worked as an Editor at Viking Press. From 1978 until 1994, Jackie worked at Doubleday as an Editor specializing in non-fiction books.

On May 19, 1994, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis succumbed to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She is perhaps most famous, however, for her courage in the aftermath of her husband’s assassination. Besides she was a perfect First Lady who fulfilled her role with a grace, elegance, and style that Americans have to come to expect of the President’s spouse! “I have been through a lot and have suffered a great deal. But I have had lots of happy moments, as well…” Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, 1994.[8]  

 

3.3 Caroline Kennedy (Schlossberg)

Caroline Kennedy was born in November 1957.[9] Her brother, with whom she was extremely close, arrived in 1960. Together with her parents she symbolized a young vibrant family till her second brother, Patrick, was born prematurely. The next shock was the assassination of her father. Caroline lost her father at the age of six, and later she got Aristotle as stepfather and spent summers on Onassis` private island. She visited private schools and her mother Jackie always determined that her children would have normal childhoods. Caroline was interested in film, photography and social issues. She studied art appreciation in London after graduating from Concord Academy in Massachusetts. In 1986, she married Edwin Schlossberg on Cape Cod, they had met a few years ago at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Together they got three children. Caroline continues to keep the memory of her father alive and when her mother died in 1994 she assumed her place as an honorary chairwoman of the American Ballet. Unfortunately her brother John jr. died 5 years later when his plane crashed into the ocean. Like her mother, Caroline was very strong and kept grounded by taking care of her family. Though Caroline inherited her mother’s press-shy nature, she has always been conscious of the legacy left by her father. Caroline founded her own path of life and that’s why she concentrates on her family and doesn’t want to work in the public. 

 

3.4. John F. Kennedy Jr.

John Jr. was born on November 25, 1960 just weeks after his father became President of the United States.[10] His Nickname was “John-John” and he grew up in the White House, where his father sometimes interrupted meetings to play and talk with him. On November 22, 1963, John Jr. lost his father; he was only two years old. Two days later on his third birthday, the nation and the world watched while the little boy saluted his father’s passing casket. John Jr.´s childhood was as normal as possible. The school was very protective of him and his classmates, because sometimes Photographers waited for him outside. In 1983 John graduated from Brown University with a history degree. Then he appeared to be without direction- he helped his mother with charities or travelled the world. In 1988 he was named “sexiest man alive” and that was because of his personal charisma, along with the Kennedy family aura. Soon it appeared that John Kennedy might be following in his father’s political footsteps. Given his family legacy, John was constantly considered for public office and in 1992, John turned down a chance to run for the vacant seat. In New York everybody loved John and pictures of him were a near-regular feature in some papers. In 1996 he married Carolyn Bessette and she was overwhelmed by the media assault she endured after the marriage. Then the next Kennedy tragedy happened, on July 16, 1999, Kennedy, along with his wife and her sister, were killed when their plane crashed into the sea.   

 

4. The life of the Kennedy family

While reading books or searching in the Internet I ask myself: How might it be to live in the middle of public interests? How can a family protect their private life? I found my answers in their biographies. Jackie used the Secret Service to protect their children from the public eye because she hated to see them used for publicity purposes and their childhood should be as normal as possible. Her battles with the press were never-ending. Once when asked by a journalist what her German shepherd liked to eat, she replied: “Reporters.”[11] The press, especially magazines, loved the Kennedys because they were young, beautiful and photogenic! Together they symbolized a new age in Washington, D.C.: a young, vibrant family, headed by a charismatic, brilliant father and elegant, sophisticated mother. Everybody laughed when Caroline’s horse interrupted a cabinet meeting or John-John played hide-and-seek in his father’s desk. To sum up, I can say that John, Jackie, Caroline and John Jr. were a nice family and under difficult circumstances they make their path. 

 

4.1 Relationship between Jackie and John F. Kennedy

To Jack Kennedy, Jackie had a distinctive air. She was bright and beautiful and possessed the ability to down her attributes. Jack was always very proud of her deep knowledge of history and art. For the public they were a perfect couple. Their marriage was magnificent and many popular persons were invited. Jackie supported John during his campaign and as well during some crisis’s. Unfortunately John F. Kennedy had many affairs with beautiful, young women for example Marilyn Monroe, Jayne Mansfield or Judith Campbell.[12]In summer 1963 Jackie and Jack were on the way to find a new concept for their life together. The Loss of their child “Patrick” brought them closer together and Jackie’s successful trips to Europe and South America showed him, that she could be an important backup and partner. She never accompanied him to trips within the United States since his election but he insisted on her coming along with him to Texas. 

 

5. What happened to them?

For three Members of the family, life is already over. John F. Kennedy saw his last sunrise on November 22, 1963 as he and his wife visited Dallas. Lee Harvey Oswald stuck his rifle out of a window as the presidential motorcade passed the Texas School Book Depository in Elm Street. It was 12:30PM as he shot three times at John F. Kennedy. The assassination of John F. Kennedy shocked the whole world. One of the most popular Presidents of the United States was only 1036 days in office. Jackie Kennedy succumbed in 1994 to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma[13], she was 65 years old. At her funeral, her son described three of her attributes: “love of words, the bonds of home and family, and her spirit of adventure.”[14]Her dead saddened millions and she will always be remembered for her example of a life lived with courage, respect, and dignity. Jackie Kennedy set an example for many women. John F. Kennedy Jr. received his pilot’s license in 1998! On July 16, 1999, he flew to a family Labor Day celebration as his plane crashed into the water. They were buried at sea with their ashes being scattered at a site not far from where they died. John-John was on the way to become a famous politician like his father till this accident. Caroline Kennedy is the only one, who is still alive, but it must be horrible to survive three family members.  

 

6. What about their reputation today, after their tragedies? 

Today, 46 years after the assassination, everybody knows John F. Kennedy and his family. While writing my term paper I asked some friends or some of my relatives what they know about John F. Kennedy and his family. Their knowledge surprised me and there were some facts everybody had heard about: Kennedy’s assassination and that his family lists many tragedies. Naturally they know that John F. Kennedy was a famous president of the United States and some heard about his affair with Marilyn Monroe. My grandfather saw Kennedy’s popular speech in Berlin and also he read many articles about his assassination. He told me that he would like to know more about the reason why John F. Kennedy was shot but till today there are many facts unexplained.

Moreover, there are many streets or places named by John F. Kennedy and this helps us to keep him and his cryptically death in mind. 

 

7. Conclusion

Now I want to sum up my inquiries about what makes the family of John F. Kennedy so special. While collecting material about the Kennedy’s I noticed that the family of John is very big. John grew up with eight brothers and sisters and they were well-bred. I think this influenced him how to lead his own family. He never wanted to have many children because he knew about the struggles for power between brothers and sisters. Jackie Kennedy was almost seven years old when her idyllic childhood ended with her parents divorce. Maybe that was a reason for Jackie to bear Jack’s affairs with many young women. She never wanted their children to experience the same pain like her when she was a little girl and had to suffer from the bitter divorce of her parents. It was difficult to be a normal family, above all when Jack became President. Since then his whole family stood in public and a normal life without bodyguards wasn’t possible. The family of John F. Kennedy couldn’t live a normal life but they did their best to keep their personality. Naturally sometimes they had to put the happy family life on stage for setting an example for other American families. They made it their business to personify a typical, well-working American family without scandals or tragedies. Of course there wasn’t everything right: Jack suffered from the Addison-Illness [15]that means his kidneys didn’t work well, besides he was unfaithful to Jackie and she knew it. I think inside they were a wonderful, lovely family because Jack and Jackie loved their children and each other, too. While reading their biographies I recognized that at the beginning, Jack and Jackie weren’t really in love, they only liked each other. But during several years they learned to work together and grew together. In the end of their relation it was love but unfortunately Jack died. I found a lot of information about the family of John F. Kennedy but it is difficult to filter the important facts. Already at the beginning of my term paper I knew that this family had a special radiation and that it would be very difficult to put this kind of charisma in words. Maybe their tragedies made them so special or their kind of living with these tragedies. After occupying myself with the Kennedy family I can say that every one of them has a wonderful personality and that their standing up for other people is admirable. 

 

What I think makes the Kennedy family so special: They represented everything that ordinary people admire and wish for. They were young, good-looking, came from a background of wealthy and powerful families, they were in love, they had two lovely children – and they were successful. I like to say that it was very interesting to see films, read books and magazines about them. I enjoyed learning new facts and the historical background and of course it was an experience to write a term paper in English. In the end I think that it’s a pity that I’ll never get to know them …   

 

8. Appendix 

8.1 Bibliography

Books:

Begleitmaterial zur Ausstellung: JOHN F. KENNEDY

Deutsches Historisches Museum, Museumspädagogik, Berlin 2003

 

JOHN F. KENNEDY , Alan Posener

Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag GmbH, Reinbek bei Hamburg, März 1991

 

Magazins:

Spotlight 2001

THE KILLING OF A PRESIDENT written by Jeff Siegel

Page 56- 59

 

Web Sites:

http://www.americanpresident.org/history/johnfkennedy/biography/

http://www.jfkin61.com/biographies/jackie_biography.html

http://www.jfkin61.com/biographies/caroline_biography.html

http://www.jfkin61.com/biographies/jfkjr_biography.html

 

Photos:

http://www.jfkin61.com/photo_speech/photos.html

http://www.sptimes.com/News/111199/JFK/Camelot_s_spirit_endu.shtml     

 

8.3 Assurance

I hereby affirm that I have compiled and evaluated only the material and books indicated. All texts quoted literally or paraphrased are listed in the bibliography. Information quoted from or found on the Internet has been made available to the teacher or is added in the appendix. I agree to the publication of my term paper in the context of Lessinggymnasium Braunschweig. 

Braunschweig, March 27, 2006