kennedy assassination

Setting the Scene

-November 22, 1963 — President Kennedy travels to Dallas as part of a political trip to strengthen support for the 1964 election

-Warm public reception; crowds line the streets along the motorcade route

-JFK, Jacqueline Kennedy, Texas Governor John Connally and his wife, Nellie Connally, ride in an open convertible

The Motorcade & Shooting

-Around 12:30 PM, motorcade turns from Houston St. onto Elm St. in Dealey Plaza

-Shots ring out — three shots fired according to most witnesses and evidence

-Kennedy is struck in the neck and head; Governor Connally is struck in the back, wrist, and thigh

-Secret Service rushes the car to Parkland Memorial Hospital

Medical Response & Death

-Doctors attempt resuscitation, but Kennedy is pronounced dead at 1:00 PM

-The autopsy would later determine a fatal head wound

Arrest of Lee Harvey Oswald

-Police arrest Lee Harvey Oswald, a former Marine and defector to the Soviet Union, 70 minutes after the shooting for killing Dallas Officer J.D. Tippit

-He is soon charged with murdering the president

-Oswald repeatedly states: “I’m just a patsy”

• Oswald claimed he was framed/a scapegoat

Jack Ruby & Oswald’s Death

-On November 24, nightclub owner Jack Ruby shoots Oswald in the basement of the Dallas Police HQ, live on national TV

-Oswald dies at Parkland Hospital — the same hospital where Kennedy died

National Shock & Mourning

-The assassination is broadcast repeatedly on TV — the first murder many Americans saw unfold live

-State funeral takes place on November 25

-Images of John Jr.’s salute and heads of state marching behind the caisson become iconic symbols of national grief

Transition of Power

-Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in on Air Force One at 2:39 PM with Jacqueline Kennedy standing beside him

-Demonstrates continuity of government during crisis