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Scavenger Hunt in the White House
When Jacqueline Kennedy became First Lady, she was greatly disappointed in the condition of the White House and set about restoring it as a showcase of American history, art and craftsmanship. Though some characterized her efforts as redecorating, Jacqueline Kennedy was engaged in the scholarship of restoration. She combed the storerooms of the Smithsonian and traced furnishings sold from the White House and had them donated back. She also supervised the publication of The White House: A Historic Guide, of which the sales paid for costs of restoration. Jacqueline Kennedy was also responsible for creating the position of curator of the White House and forming the Fine Arts for the White House committee. The efforts of Jacqueline Kennedy continue to be apparent in the White House and can be observed in the video tours of the White House, now available on the official White House website.
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One Small Step
On May 25, 1961, before a joint meeting of Congress, President John F. Kennedy said, “I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth.” President Kennedy did not live to see Neil Armstrong step foot on the moon, but First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy did live to see her husband’s promise fulfilled. Where Jacqueline Kennedy was on the day man landed on the moon is unknown, but it is likely she was in Greece with her second husband, Aristotle Onassis, whom she had married nine months previously.
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Pride, Passion, and Peace
Jacqueline Kennedy was one year old when her mother put her on a horse for the first time. At the age of eleven, she earned her first national horsemanship championship. Vicky Moon, in writing of the First Lady’s “private passion,” asserted that riding was a source of pride and accomplishment for Jacqueline Kennedy and a source of peace when faced with challenges in her childhood and adult life.
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Arlington National Cemetery
When President Kennedy was assassinated, it was reported by the Associated Press and in the New York Times that he would be buried in Boston. Jacqueline Kennedy, when asked about her husband’s burial replied, “He belongs to the people,” and the decision was made that he would be buried in Arlington National Cemetery. On May 23, 1994, Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis was buried next to her first husband in Arlington Cemetary. Though a very private person, perhaps Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis concluded that she also belonged to the people.
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Le Bulldozer: Charles de Gaulle
On a trip to Paris in 1961, President Kennedy introduced himself as “the man who accompanied Jacqueline Kennedy to Paris.” Caroline Kennedy once wrote of Paris as “the city my mother loved and inspired her throughout her life.” In Paris, Jacqueline Kennedy charmed a man who could be described as one of the most influential resistance leaders in the twentieth century, Charles de Gaulle. In this lesson, students will explore the life of Charles de Gaulle and compare his life to the lives of other resistance leaders.
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The Power of Images in Shaping Ideas
Prior to marrying Congressman John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Lee Bouvier worked as the “Inquiring Camera Girl” for the Washington-Times Herald newspaper. Though some disagreement exists regarding how Jackie and John Kennedy actually met, most accounts suggest that it was her job as an inquiring photographer that led Jackie to Jack and her charm that persuaded Jack to pursue her. Working for $42.50 per week, the future Mrs. Kennedy would walk around Washington D.C. and ask questions of prominent individuals, such as Congressmen Kennedy, and then take pictures of the individuals for a column she wrote that day.
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Abraham, Martin, and John
Jacqueline Kennedy, known for her love of music, once stated, “Constant music – no dull moments.” Thus when guests entered the East Room, they no longer did so in silence, they entered to the sounds of the Marine Band. The musical tastes of the President and First Lady were varied; jazz, classical, Broadway musicals and rock and roll all were heard in the White House during the Kennedy administration. They even caused a bit of a scandal by having “twisting in the historic East Room.” Throughout history music has played an inspirational role. One form of music, protest music, has even inspired us to change history. During the Kennedy Administration, the change on the horizon was civil rights and music played a central role in this struggle. One of the more sorrowful songs of the Civil Rights Movement was Abraham, Martin, and John, which paid tribute to President Kennedy and his efforts to end segregation.
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The Power of Public Speaking
On July 15, 1960, John F. Kennedy gave his acceptance speech at the 1960 Democratic Convention. At that event, Kennedy introduced the idea of a “New Frontier” and for the first time, the nation heard from a future president who gave many of the most significant speeches in modern history. President’s Kennedy’s successes as a speaker began when he was a senator and are partially due to the help of Jacqueline Kennedy, who helped write some of the speeches and also took charge of his wardrobe. Jacqueline Kennedy also gave a few speeches, especially those in which a language other than English was required.
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The Free and The Brave
Within the first three years of his marriage to Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy, Senator John Kennedy had two back surgeries to alleviate chronic pain. During his convalescence, which lasted up to eight months in bed at one time, Senator Kennedy, with the encouragement of his new wife, wrote the Pulitzer Prize book, Profiles in Courage. In this text, eight senators are honored for their courage in doing what was right or just, rather than what was politically expedient. Because he was unable to walk when writing Profiles in Courage, Senator Kennedy relied on Jacqueline Kennedy and others to do necessary research under his direction.
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For One Brief Shining Moment
One week after the funeral of President John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy met with Theodore H. White, a Kennedy confidant and Life magazine writer. In that meeting, Mrs. Kennedy mentioned that a song from the musical Camelot kept playing in her head. The song was a favorite of her deceased husband; a sad song that he often played in their bedroom. The song ended with the words, “Don’t let it be forgot, that once there was a spot, for one brief shining moment that was known as Camelot.”
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Economic Expansion
John and Jacqueline Kennedy surrounded themselves with geniuses of music and art as well as intellectuals from multiple academic disciplines, including university and think tank economists. President Kennedy’s economic policies, though increasing the deficit, are credited for sustaining the longest “economic expansion since World War II.” Two key components of President Kennedy’s economic polices were tax cuts and increased spending for education.
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Eager to Sacrifice (Peace Corps)
One of John F. Kennedy’s first accomplishments as president was creating the Peace Corps. In his announcement of the Executive Order providing for the establishment of the Peace Corps, he stated, “The initial reactions to the Peace Corps proposal are convincing proof that we have, in this country, an immense reservoir of such men and women--anxious to sacrifice their energies and time and toil to the cause of world peace and human progress.” The truth of President Kennedy’s statement can be seen in the 182,000 Peace Corps volunteers who have volunteered since 1961 and who continue to work on issues such as environmental preservation, information technology, and AIDS education in 138 countries around the world.
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