Birthplace of John F. Kennedy:
Home of the Boy
Who Would Be President

(Photo by C.W. Stroughton, National Park Service) John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) was a man who made a difference. He was both the youngest man ever elected president of the United States and the first Roman Catholic to hold that office. Those qualities reinforced for many the belief that any American could become president. Although JFK was a member of an extraordinary American family of entrepreneurs, statesmen and civic leaders, he spent the first four years of his childhood in a modest home in Brookline, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. Brookline's lovely tree-lined streets, good schools, and space for children to play made it an attractive place to raise a family. It was there that Rose Kennedy and her husband Joseph began instilling the high standards and ambition that would make the Kennedys one of America's most famous families. 1From an oral interview with Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, John F. Kennedy National Historic Site, 1969.

TABLE OF CONTENTS About This Lesson Getting Started: Inquiry Question Setting the Stage: Historical Context Locating the Site: Maps 1. John F. Kennedy National Historic Site in Brookline, Massachusetts Determining the Facts: Readings 1. The Kennedy Family Background 2. Daily Life at 83 Beals Street 3. Excerpts from JFK's Inaugural Address 4. JFK's Health Card Visual Evidence: Images 1. The Kennedy Family Home at 83 Beals Street 2. John and Joseph Kennedy, Jr., c. 1919 3. John F. Kennedy and Family, 1921 4. John F. Kennedy, c. 1925 5. Kennedy Family Photograph Putting It All Together: Activities 1. Why Do We Remember JFK? 2. People Make a Difference 3. Who Am I? Supplementary Resources

RELATED INFORMATION How to Use a TwHP Lesson Lessons on Related Topics TwHP Home National Register Home About the National Register How the National Register Helps Teachers Contact TwHP John F. Kennedy National Historic Site This lesson is based on the John F. Kennedy National Historic Site, one of the thousands of properties listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

Continue