JFK35 - A podcast by the JFK Library Foundation

The JFK Library holds thousands of primary source treasures that bring history to life. In this episode, JFK Library Foundation Executive Director Rachel Flor takes us behind the scenes to explore the original records showing how Jacqueline Kennedy reimagined the White House as the People's House. We'll also hear the voice of one of President Kennedy's closest friends, preserved in an intimate oral history.

At the JFK Presidential Library and Museum, history isn't frozen behind glass — each artifact has its own story to tell. This episode, we talk with the JFK Library Foundation's Maggie Bramley about the museum items that continue to inspire her — from the Kennedy family bible to a commode gifted to the President and Mrs. Kennedy by French President Charles de Gaulle.

Lessons from a letter? JFK Presidential Library Education Director Suzi Fonda shares some of her favorite letters from children who picked up their pens urging President Kennedy to take action on Civil Rights.

In the first episode of our Staff Picks series, Library Director Alan Price highlights three artifacts that capture pivotal moments that shaped President John F. Kennedy's life. The coconut shell that carried his rescue message during World War II tells a story of courage and resilience, a letter from the surviving members of the Amagiri show how two bitter enemies can make peace, while Jacqueline Bouvier's wedding dress symbolizes a new chapter for the future president. Together, these pieces reveal how personal experiences shaped the leader we know today.

In this episode, we take a closer look at how President Kennedy viewed the social contract between the president and the American people with historian Fredrik Logevall. In particular, we'll look at how that played out for four segments of the population who had been historically marginalized in varying ways: African Americans, women, people with intellectual disabilities, and immigrants. This episode is the last of a four-part series taking a closer look at what made President John F. Kennedy a strong democratic leader, not as a leader of the Democratic Party, but as the leader of a modern democracy.