AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: JFK

Stream now with KPBS+ / Watch Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2

Forever enshrined in myth by an assassin’s bullet, John F. Kennedy’s presidency has often defied objective appraisal. This portrait offers a fresh assessment of the man, his accomplishments and his unfulfilled promise. Produced and directed by Susan Bellows, "JFK" features interviews with Kennedy family members and historians including Robert Dallek, Robert Caro, and Evan Thomas.

Beginning with Kennedy’s childhood years as the privileged but sickly second son of one of the wealthiest men in America, "JFK" explores his early political career as a lackluster congressman, his successful run for the U.S. Senate, and the game-changing presidential campaign that made him the youngest elected president in U.S. history.

Part 1 - Follow JFK’s rise to power from his birth to his election as president in 1960 — the youngest man ever to be elected to the office. With illuminating interviews from family members including sister Jean Kennedy Smith, niece Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, historian Robert Dallek and author Robert Caro, this episode offers new insight into Kennedy’s early years, from his transformation from a sickly youth to Washington’s most eligible bachelor to the nation’s president.

Part 2 - Follow Kennedy into the White House through his assassination and the unfulfilled promise of his presidency. Offering fresh assessments of the successes and failures of his tenure, this episode features frank appraisals by administration officials, including John Siegenthaler, Thomas Hughes and Harris Wofford, civil rights leaders Andrew Young and Julian Bond, and journalists Evan Thomas and Richard Reeves.

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Senator John F. Kennedy in Boston, 1957.

Courtesy of Douglas Jones, LOOK Magazine Photograph Collection, Library of Congress

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Taken January 11, 1962: Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson, Speaker of the House John McCormack of Massachusetts. President Kennedy's second State of the Union is titled, "Strengthening the Economy."

Courtesy of John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

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President Kennedy confers with Attorney General Kennedy, White House, outside of Oval Office.

Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Library

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Senator John F. Kennedy in Seattle on the first day of his presidential campaign, 1959.

Courtesy of John F. Kennedy Library

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President John F. Kennedy claps while his children Caroline and John, Jr. dance in the Oval Office.

Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Library

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Taken November 27, 1962 at Caroline Kennedy's 5th Birthday in the White House nursery: (from left) Caroline, John Jr., President Kennedy, Mrs. Kennedy.

Courtesy of John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

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Taken August 4, 1962, the Kennedys in Hyannis Port, (from left) John Jr., Jackie, Caroline and John.

Courtesy of John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

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President Kennedy and his daughter Caroline on a yacht during a weekend in Hyannis Port.

Courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Library

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Taken March 12-26, 1962, Mrs. Kennedy on a boat trip with her sister Princess Lee Radziwill.

Courtesy of John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Watch More clips:
JFK on the Enemy: The Red Threat
JFK on Policing the World: The Vietnam Question
JFK on Policing the World: The Soviet Menace
JFK and Military Service: The Rescue
JFK and Crisis: The Cuban Missile Crisis
JFK and Age: The Young Congressman
JFK and Abusing Power: Private Life

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