A turning point can be described as an event which, if it could have not occurred, would have caused a different course in history. The assassination of President John Kennedy was a great turning point in the history of Americans and the world.
Several Americans remember clearly the place they were when they heard the death of their president. After the death or assassination of President John Kennedy, there were increase in violence and deaths in most parts of 1960s, which were triggered by the death of Kennedy (Dick & Launius, 2009, p.34).
Even though the assassination of President Kennedy was a huge turning point, it stayed for a while before it happened and succeeding acceptance of leftist ideas into modern liberalism. The Vietnam War took another course after the death of Kennedy and the plans to withdraw the troops were in progress.
Another event which occurred due to violence and Vietnam War was the declaration by President Johnson that he will not seek another term. Some other events which followed the death of President Kennedy in 1960s are assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968 and death of Kennedy brother, Robert Kenned.
After President Johnson declined to seek for another term as president due to riots which were linked to assassination of President Kennedy, Richard Nixon was elected president in 1968.
This looks as a turning point since if President Kennedy was alive and as president, Richard Nixon could not be president. It was impossible for President Johnson to continue for another term as president due to the events which erupted due to the death of Kennedy.
Because President Kennedy would have obviously be reelected as president had he not been assassinated, all the United States’ army would have been removed from Vietnam War and America would not have participated entirely.
Due to the death of Kennedy, the economy of United States was really affected by being in the war along with the government stability. It was therefore impossible to stop United States not to participate in Vietnam War since most officials supported this war and therefore they did not have pressure to withdraw troops from Vietnam (Dick & Launius, 2009, p.34).
In United Nations meeting in September 1963, President Kennedy supported the joint venture mission to the moon but the Soviet Union opposed the idea. Some view this idea as a way of compromising Soviet technology.
After the death of President Kennedy in 1963, Khrushchev was overthrown in the following year and NASA administration defended the Apollo agenda as unimportant idea of this assassinated president. If they could have implemented the Kennedy’s ideas, Apollo might have extended until now and possibly could have been successful.
Hence, assassination of President Kennedy might be understood as a huge turning point in the perspective of spaceflight even though it is not normally agreed per se (Dick & Launius, 2009, p.34).
His motive of taking Americans to the moon by the end of decade is seen as a crucial event in the Space Age account. Assassination of Kennedy changed the world since his death appears as if it happened some few years ago. Most people considered Kennedy era as a time of idealism and everybody believed the future was brilliant.
Vietnam War was not considered a huge problem, there was negotiation about landing in the moon, the family of Kennedy was still fresh and young, and there were expectations in America.
The time he was killed followed by his death announcement became a turning point for all these hopes and it appeared in time troops were being killed in Vietnam War along with other issues which America was facing.
Reference
Dick, S., & Launius, R. (2009). Societal Impact of Spaceflight. Washington DC: Government Printing Office.