10 Seemingly Insignificant Choices That Changed The World Forever

3. President Kennedy's Decision To Have The Top Down

On November 22nd 1963, America fell silent following the assassination of its youthful new political hope; John Fitzgerald Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. The decision to go to Dallas in the first place was politically motivated; JFK was beginning to mobilise his 1964 election campaign, and this trip was intended to show the liberal, Catholic, Northern President had the interests of the almost completely opposite South in its mind. As a part of this public display the decision was made (probably by campaign managers) to have the top of the convertible down. This seemingly small detail would allow the President and his wife to be seen by the maximum number of people; it would also allow Lee Harvey Oswald to get a clean shot at the President. The will of the political campaign managers in making minuscule decisions, such as deciding upon routes, whether to have a roof, and security procedures all contributed to that fateful day. The power these behind the scenes managers hold is immense, and the ramifications of their decisions can have lasting consequences. The shot that killed Kennedy would have lasting long term impacts; it put Johnson in the White House, paving the way for an increase in the number of American troops in Vietnam; the space race rapidly increased; it allowed Kennedy to become a symbolic emblem of the youthful, energetic hope in America, facilitating the passage of numerous pieces of Civil Rights legislation, as well as contributing to American notions of freedom in the Cold War era.