An American Tragedy
On November 22, 1963, the unthinkable happened. American president John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Assassin Lee Harvey Oswald shot and killed the president from a 6th floor window at the Texas School Book Depository.
For context, JFK was going on a presidential tour in Texas in November 1963. His mission was bolster support for the Democratic party in the state of Texas. Of course, one of his stops was going to be in Dallas–the then-2nd largest city in Texas.
After flying into the nearby Dallas-Love Field airport, President Kennedy’s presidential motorcade drove him through the downtown Dallas area. Hundreds of thousands of people lined the streets of Dallas to get a glimpse of JFK. The President sat in an open-air convertible during the drive through Dallas. Sitting next to JFK were his wife Jackie Kennedy and Texas Governor John Connally (and his wife).
As JFK’s motorcade turned the corner around Dealey Plaza, tragedy struck.
Lee Harvey Oswald shot three bullets at the President’s convertible. The first one missed. The second one hit President Kennedy and Governor Connally. Then, the final bullet hit JFK.
The President’s motorcade rushed the wounded president to a nearby hospital. Unfortunately, the damage was too severe. President John F. Kennedy died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
Soon after, Vice-President Lyndon B. Johnson became the 36th President of the USA, and the nation went into mourning. Many Americans felt they lost a dear friend on that November day.
As a whole, the 1960s were quite a turbulent decade for the United States. The JFK assassination was probably one of the most traumatic events of that tumultuous decade.
My Experience at the JFK Memorial & the 6th Floor Museum
The JFK assassination took place 58 years ago, so this traumatic event is within the living memory of many members of the Baby Boomer generation. In fact, both of my paternal grandparents were college students at the time of the JFK assassination.
However, most Americans–such as myself–have no personal memory of this impactful event. What can we do to remind future generations of this impactful moment?
That’s where the JFK Memorial/the 6th floor Museum comes into play.
I have attended college for the last three years in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, but I never got around to going to the JFK memorial.
Thankfully, I finally went there this past weekend.
The 6th floor of the former Texas School Book Depository–where Oswald shot JFK from–is now a museum. The “6th Floor Museum” at Dealey Plaza now stands as a memorial to the fallen 35th President of the United States.
Located in the heart of downtown Dallas, the 6th floor museum serves as an educational tool for the American public. It provides a gripping account of the events prior to, during, and after the JFK assassination.
My friend and I spent about 2 hours at the museum, and we both enjoyed every minute of it.
By the end of the visit, I felt as though I was walking on “hallowed ground”. The JFK assassination holds considerable influence on the American mythos. Visiting this museum–where such an important event transpired–was humbling, chilling, and awe-inspiring all at the same time.
Moving on, a few blocks away from the museum stands the JFK Memorial. My friend and I visited this Memorial after we left the 6th floor museum.
Back in 1970, architect Phillip Johnston helped plan a new memorial In Dallas to commemorate the life of President Kennedy. His design was a 30 foot-tall box-like structure.
Inside the memorial is a single granite square with the name “John Fitzgerald Kennedy” engraved on it. The photo at the beginning of the article is of me standing next to the granite square inside of the JFK Memorial.
I also noticed that there’s an inscription on a piece of granite several yards in front of the memorial. This inscription is an epitaph for JFK. The text below comes from that epitath:
“The joy and excitement of
John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s life belonged to all men.
So did the pain and sorrow of his death.
When he died on November 22, 1963, shock and
agony touched human conscience throughout the world.
In Dallas, Texas, there was a special sorrow.
The young President died in Dallas. The death
bullets were fired 200 yards west of this site.
This memorial, designed by Philip Johnson,
was erected by the people of Dallas. Thousands of
citizens contributed support, money and effort.
It is not a memorial to the pain and sorrow
of death, but stands as a permanent tribute to the joy
and excitement of one man’s life.
John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s life.”
The museum’s artchitect designed this Memorial as testament to JFK’s life–as well as the youthful spirit and “vigah” (that’s a joke about JFK’s Boston accent) he exemplified as the 35th President of the United States of America.
The Impact
At this museum, “history came alive for me”. What do I mean by that statement?
Personally, I have only visited two other history museums that gave me a similar feeling. History is a living subject of past people who were just as real as you and I are.
In school, history is often taught as a stale subject full of irrelevant dates and people that you don’t care about. That fact is unfortunate because American history is such a glorious treasure trove of legendary figures and impactful events.
Honestly, one of the main reasons I enjoy doing this blog is to share my love of American history. The American education system has not preserved the memory of our Founding Fathers, our great generals, and our gifted entrepreneurs. It brings me joy when history museums–such as the 6th Floor Museum/JFK memorial–preserve the memory of our nation’s heroes.
I went on a bit of a tangent there, but this museum fills an important void in American culture by preserving our shared cultural memory.
On that note, I highly recommend everyone to check out this museum if you’re ever in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.