November 22, 1963

Today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas. 

Unlike my parents and others old enough to remember exactly where they were and what happened on that day, I was just a mere 18 months old. 

Whatever knowledge I have of what happened on that day comes from not only talking to family peeps and relatives old enough to live through that day, but watching newsreels, video, documentaries and reading the history books about the Kennedy presidency. 

Since I have relatives in Dallas and we frequently did vacation trips up I-45, I have actually seen Dealey Plaza, the Texas School Book Depository, the Grassy Knoll and the Kennedy memorial there.




That moment altered the American history timeline.   We know President Kennedy was in Dallas as part of a political tour to shore up Texas in advance of his presidential reelection bid in 1964.  

There's also been endless speculation about what a Kennedy second term might have looked like had the fateful decision to remove the bubble top on the presidential limo not been made.
 
One thing we can probably conclude would be correct is that the Civil Right Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 probably wouldn't have happened as quickly.

But then again, we'll never know, just like 50 years later we still don't have definitive answers on exactly what happened on this date to one beloved president and a Democratic party hero.