And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country. – John F. Kennedy

John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) only served as President of the United States (POTUS) for a short time. However, it is without a doubt that he left a lasting impact on the country. JFK was known for his charisma and inspiring speeches. He championed the U.S. space program. He led a nation during a Cold War crisis that served as a “fork in the road” moment in world history. There has been countless speculation about JFK’s life, especially his love life. The same goes for his death, an event that shook the nation.

In my post, What are the Presidential Libraries and why are they important?, I explain in detail the importance of the Presidential Libraries as a whole. Below, we are going to discuss what makes a trip to the JFK Library, specifically, impactful.

About John F. Kennedy

Here a few quick facts about JFK.

• Born on May 29, 1917, in Brookline, Massachusetts
• Served as 35th POTUS from January 20, 1961 to November 22, 1963
• Youngest ever elected president (43 years and 236 days old at inauguration)
• Ranked as the 9th best president per SCRI (2022)*
• 1st Catholic president
• President during the Cuban Missile Crisis
• Established the Peace Corps
• Served in the Navy during World War II
• Only president to be awarded either the Navy and Marine Corps Medal or a Purple Heart
• Inspiration for Mayor Quimby’s voice in The Simpsons
• Assassinated on November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas

*Siena College Research Institute (SCRI) Survey of U.S. Presidents is based on responses from 141 presidential scholars, historians and political scientists. Respondents ranked the presidents on a scale of 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent) based on twenty criteria.

About the Presidential Library

Here’s some things you should know about the JFK Library.

• Located at Columbia Point, Boston, MA 02125
• Opened in October 1979
• Museum features:
  • Exhibits showcasing Kennedy’s life, leadership, and legacy
  • Interactive exhibits and educational resources for visitors of all ages
• Museum open 7 days a week from 10:00-5:00, closed on Wednesdays in winter
• Library may be visited by appointment only
• Admission Price – $18 adults, $12 seniors and college students, $10 youth

Why visit the JFK Library

Based on my experience, the Presidential Libraries give visitors information about the president and then invites them to critically think about his life, presidency, and legacy. They are not shrines to that president. Therefore, if you hesitate to visit any of the Presidential Libraries because of that misconception, please don’t. Here are some of the benefits of visiting the JFK Library in particular.

Preservation

The JFK Library preserves millions of documents, artifacts and media relating to JFK. Though this doesn’t sound very exciting, preservation allows for posterity, the ability for future generations to study. In that way, think of the Presidential Library like a JFK classroom, for the benefit of the American people.

Context

Next, the library provides context to the major events during JFK including, but not limited to, his presidency. Let’s take the Cuban Missile Crisis, for example. Plucking out a few sentences from an encyclopedia provides little understanding of what truly transpired and why. How was the political climate in America in the early 1960s? What were the international challenges of that time? What events led to the crisis? How did it impact the country and the world afterward? These are all things the JFK Library help us understand.

Perspective

Further, the JFK Library helps provide perspective. Textbooks and traditional classrooms tend to simplify a president down to a nearly inanimate being (this problem worsens the longer ago that president served). Presidents are reduced to bullet points, like the ones above in this post. But behind every president there is a person, flesh and blood, like everyone else. A person is shaped by their upbringing, relationships, experiences, successes, and trials.

In the case of JFK, he was plagued by chronic health issues since his childhood. This is something he worked hard to conceal from the public. Could this outward projection of strength have helped him during the Cuban Missile Crisis? On the flip side, did the ability to conceal physical infirmities open a pathway to entertaining the idea of secret love affairs? These are the types of questions that start to percolate once you start seeing JFK as a human.

The Cuban Missile Crisis

The last two reasons to visit the JFK Library center around two major events. The first, the Cuban Missile Crisis, has come up a couple of times already. The encyclopedia-style version is something like this:

In October 1962, a 13-day confrontation occurred between the United States and the Soviet Union over Soviet ballistic missiles deployed in Cuba. The crisis began when American U-2 spy planes discovered the missiles, prompting JFK to enact a naval blockade around Cuba. After tense negotiations, the crisis was resolved when the Soviet Union agreed to remove the missiles in exchange for the U.S. promising not to invade Cuba and secretly agreeing to remove its own missiles from Turkey.

Let’s travel to an alternate reality where the crisis escalated. In this reality, JFK gives in to the immense pressure being applied by the Pentagon to take military action in Cuba. It is widely believed by both American and Russian scholars that the Soviet Union would then have felt compelled to respond, most likely by nuking a U.S. city.

What happens next? In 1962, the U.S.’s nuclear arsenal is vastly superior to the Soviet Union. The U.S. begins to unleash that arsenal on Cuba and the Soviet Union. The Soviets manage to fire off some of their short-range nukes, destroying most of Europe, and also let loose some long-range missiles, knocking out a few more U.S. cities.

Scholars estimate, while still maintaining its viability as a country, the U.S. casualties are 10-33% of the total population (that’s 18-61 million people). Cuba and the Soviet Union are completely obliterated. The world that remains is left to deal with the fallout, both political and nuclear. Avoiding this reality was a bit more consequential than I was taught in school.

JFK Assasination

The second major event was JFK’s assassination. After 9/11, the media tried to put that tragedy in perspective. The two most common events brought up were Pearl Harbor and the JFK assassination. I remember asking my parents about this and they said the world around them felt different after the assassination. How exactly did JFK’s assassination change America?

It was the first of several assassinations in the 1960s that helped lead to major societal change. The American public, for the first time, consumed news of the assassination more by television than newspaper. The nation unified, albeit briefly, in mourning, paving the way for the Civil Rights Act to be passed. The circumstances of the assassination and subsequent secrecy led to conspiracy theories and general distrust of the government. This was exacerbated by the public’s questioning of the Warren Commission report. Constitutionally, it led to the creation of the 25th amendment, which spelled out for the first time the Vice President becomes President if the office is left vacated.

The JFK Library delves into all these impacts, exploring every facet—including the conspiracies.

Visit the JFK Library

Besides all the above reasons, the JFK Library is one of only thirteen Presidential Libraries in the country. This fact in itself makes it unique. Whether it is the person, his presidency, that era, or the major events, the JFK Library provides visitors an indispensable opportunity to experience all things John F. Kennedy. So, make sure to add the JFK Library to your Boston visit.

Want to experience more history in Boston? Check out the Boston page on HwL!