November 20, 2015
JFK’s Assassination Interview Assignment
Dear Students,
This weekend you begin doing your second interview with a family member or friend. Your interview will involve
questioning a person on his/her remembrances of another tragic historical American History occurrence.
This interview will surround the events of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Sunday, November 22nd marks
the 52nd anniversary of his death. Since you were not born at the time of this shocking tragedy, you will look to
someone much older than you. Please interview someone who was at least 10 years old on 11/22/63. The older the
person was on that date, the more detailed his/her information will be. Your grandparents will most likely be the
perfect candidates for this assignment. If you are unable to find someone to interview please do the alternate
assignment on the other side of this one.
Please ask the following questions of the person that you are interviewing:
 Where were you when you first heard the news that John F. Kennedy had been shot?
 What were you doing at the exact moment that you heard this news and what was your initial
reaction?
 Do you believe that Lee Harvey Oswald was the lone assassin? If not, who else do you think was
involved? Do you think the truth will ever be known?
 What impact did it have on you and your family?
 What do you remember the most about his funeral?
 Do you think this assassination had a substantial impact on American history in the 1960s?
 What was it about Kennedy himself that made this such a tragedy?
 If you weren't supportive of him prior to this, what was it about his assassination that softened your
attitude toward him?
 Did you want to see his brother Robert become President? Why or why not?
 How did you feel when Lyndon B. Johnson became President? Did you think he was a good President?
 Does Kennedy deserve the honors and respect he received after he was gone? Why or why not?
 A hundred years from now, how do you think historians will judge him?
 Describe how your life changed, as an American, after Kennedy’s killing.
 How are you feeling now, 52 years after the tragedy?
 Have you ever visited the assassination site or anything else that is associated with JFK?
 Why do you think it is so easy for you to remember so many details about this day?
 What do you think life would have been like if JFK’s assassination had never happened and he
continued on with his presidency for many years?
Please encourage the person that you interview to use as much detail as possible when describing
his/her memories. Your interview may be typed or neatly written and will be turned in for a grade on
Monday, November 23, 2015. You may change the order of the interview questions and/or group them
accordingly in your final writing as to where you see fit. *Remember alternate ways to present this report
other than standard Q&A format if you’re looking to receive a grade of 4 … go above and beyond what you
are asked to do!
Although this was a heartbreaking day for Americans, it is part of our history and needs to be
remembered, especially as we embark on its 52nd anniversary. Enjoy learning information that can’t
always be found in a textbook as you go through this interview process.