John F. Kennedy Assassinated (1963) Term Paper

In an effort to heal local party factionalism and boost his own standing for the next year’s election, President Kennedy visited Texas in November 1963. While passing through Dallas in his motorcade, he was fatally shot on November 22 by Lee Harvey Oswald. Oswald, in turn, was shot while in police custody by Jack Ruby. The nation was profoundly shocked and grieved by the president’s murder. A special investigating commission headed by Chief Justice Earl Warren subsequently decided that Oswald had acted alone in the assassination. Nevertheless, many people, then and since, believed that a conspiracy had existed.
Suggestions for Term Papers
1. Discuss why Dallas was considered dangerous for Kennedy to visit and why he visited there.
2. Compare the findings of the Warren Commission Report with those of various conspiracy theories.
3. Compare the actual assassination with what has been depicted in fiction and film.
4. Discuss the 1979 House of Representatives committee investigation of the assassination.
5. Discuss the effects of the Kennedy assassination on American life.

GENERAL SOURCES

Baden, Michael M., and Judith A. Hennessee. Unnatural Death: Confessions of a Medical Examiner. New York: Random House, 1989. Interesting narrative examining the untimely deaths of various notables; (e.g., Kennedy, Belushi, Presley).

DeLoach, Cartha. Hoover’s FBI: The Inside Story by Hoover’s Trusted Lieutenant. Washington, DC: Regnery Publishing, 1995. Comprehensive narrative of the FBI and its powerful head; interesting account of the Kennedy assassination’s effect.

Lindop, Edmond. Assassinations That Shook America. New York: Franklin Watts, 1992. Concise, easy-to-read account of major assassinations in the United States; describes assassins and their motives. Treats Kennedy and his brother as well as King, Garfield, McKinley, and others.
a firm position against any conspiracy theory involving the Soviet Union.

Newman, John. Oswald and the CIA. New York: Carol&Graf, 1995. A reexamination of the controversy regarding the assassination; includes an interpretation of Oswald’s distribution of pro-Castro handbills in New Orleans .

Scott, Peter D. Deep Politics and the Death of JFK. (1993). Reprint. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1996. Views the assassination as part of a conspiracy; sees the fruit companies as a major culprit due to their concern about spreading communist influence.

Sloan, Bill. JFK: Breaking the Silence. Dallas: Taylor Publishing, 1993. Supports conspiracy theories; describes views and observations of twelve people.

United States. Warren Commission. The Warren Commission Report: The Official Report of the President’s Commission on the Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. (1964). Reprint. Stamford, CT: Long-meadow, 1993. The most recent reprint of the full report of the commission’s inquiry, providing a detailed examination of the events that led up to and followed the assassination.

BIOGRAPHICAL SOURCES

Manchester, William R. One Brief Shining Moment: Remembering Kennedy. Boston: Little, Brown, 1983. Personal portrait of Kennedy the man; provides a rejoinder to his critics. Good anecdotes.

Posner, Gerald L. Case Closed: Lee Harvey Oswald and the Assassination of JFK. New York: Random House, 1993. Detailed description of Oswald’s life and his unhappiness with any political system; discredits claims of those who favor a conspiracy theory.

AUDIOVISUAL SOURCES

Who Killed JFK: Facts Not Fiction. Beverly Hills: CBS/Fox Video, 1992. Videocassette. 75-minute presentation examining the assassination with interviews of important personalities; hosted by Dan Rather from a CBS telecast.

WORLD WIDE WEB

McAdams, John. The Kennedy Assassination Home Page. August 1997. http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/home.htm Great site for Kennedy assassination buffs; contains brief descriptions of all phases and theories along with links to featured articles. Subject index.