Day 9:

A topic that relates to an alternate universe, therefore relating to time. Also, written by a younger me. 

Why JFK's Assassination Changed the World

John F. Kennedy or more commonly known as JFK was an important political figure whose assassination changed some of history’s greatest events. We most likely would have avoided a nuclear catastrophe and have a different Vietnam war situation.  Civil rights would not have been nearly as quick or passed at all. The Secret Service and other organizations have improved with security and planning. Some political figures and scandals probably wouldn’t have been in power (political figure) or been different (political scandal). Overall, the 1960s was a very conflicted decade.

First and foremost, we probably avoided a nuclear war. With the Cold War (the USA versus the Soviet Union) currently happening, and both superpowers racing to build new and improved weapons, there would’ve been some conflict with JFK in office. Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ) took a much different approach with the Cold War than Kennedy would’ve done (demonstrated in the Cuban Missile Crisis). Something else that’s related to the Cold War was the Vietnam war situation. Though historians disagree whether JFK would have wanted to be involved in the Vietnam war and how it would have played out, most people conclude that it would not have gone well. We should be grateful that we don’t live in some kind of deserted junkyard.

Next, the current United States Secret Service (President/V.P. protection service) and other organizations (e.g. FBI) have greatly improved over the course of the last half-century (56 years exactly). There is much better cooperation and communication between all these Federal Services. The FBI has learned one major lesson since 1963, they need to alert the Secret Service about killers, sharpshooters (*Lee Harvey Oswald), etc. The Secret Service now regularly checks all buildings and complexes of a president/V.P. route. The chance of a president getting assassinated is zero to none. 

Also, civil rights wouldn’t have been passed nearly as quickly or been passed at all with Kennedy still in office. Kennedy was the person who tried to pass civil rights in Congress. After Kennedy died it was up to Johnson to try to pass civil rights. Johnson knew the Congress very well unlike Kennedy. Johnson was from the South and a Democrat so he knew how to speak to the Northern Democrats and the Southern voters. Johnson also used small tricks such as “It would be an insult to Kennedy’s memory” to pass civil rights. Kennedy was very passive while Johnson was very intimidating and even had a way to intimidate people named after him is known as the “Johnson Treatment”. The stunts that Martin Luther King Jr. pulled might’ve still happened for a long time. One of our most recent presidents, Barack Obama, might not have been in office because he is actually half black. America from 1963’s onwards would’ve been very much different.

Some of America’s most famous political figures might not have been in office or might’ve been different. The Watergate scandal which cut into Richard Nixon’s second term is that Nixon got a bit paranoid and he bugged (put secret mics) a Democratic office (his opponent in the previous election) and stole important papers. When people found out they forced Nixon to resign. This most likely wouldn’t have happened in a different time frame. This also would mean that Gerald Ford (Nixon’s V.P.)  would not have been president. LBJ who was V.P. to Kennedy would not have been president if JFK had not died. There is a possibility that LBJ would have run in the 1968 election but he didn’t run in our current timeline. He also died in 1973 in our real timeline. As you may have already heard me mention LBJ was very different from JFK. So without some of these political figures, the world would be run differently.

In conclusion, John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s tragic death sparked events that are great for our existence. We most likely avoided a nuclear war, passed civil rights, have a better American Secret Service and have our existing line of presidents. JFK’s death truly changed the world, hopefully for the better.