Lee Harvey Oswald’s Motives for killing President John F. Kennedy

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There have been many papers, books, and articles written on Lee Harvey Oswald’s motives for killing President John F. Kennedy. No one knows for sure exactly what motivated him in this horrendous act, but there has been some speculation that a fatherless upbringing or his mental health led the way in making him the most famous assassin of the twentieth century.
Lee Harvey Oswald had a rough childhood. He grew up without a father figure in his life so he was lacking direction from the most important source (Biography: Lee Harvey Oswald ). His father died two months before Oswald was born, leaving his mother with three small children. As a result, “his mother would frequently neglect and leave Lee with various babysitters” (Diamond). These babysitters reportedly abused him, which started a pattern of violence that lasted throughout his life. While a young boy, when his mother grew unable to take care of him, Oswald was sent off to boarding school. This gave him yet another feeling of rejection. His family moved a lot, which accounts for his “outsider” mentality. It had an effect on him because “He had lived in more than twenty different cities by the time he was seventeen” (Diamond). One of these moves was to New York City. While there Oswald was sent to a juvenile reformatory. This brief stay offers insight into his mental state. "There he had a psychiatric evaluation which found the seventh grader to have a "weird fantasy life, turning around the topics of omnipotence and power through which [he] tries to compensate for his present shortcomings and frustrations." Though treatment was recommended, it was never received. His mother seemed to be almost sad about having kids because she “complained considerably about how unfairly sh...

... middle of paper ...

...eb. 24 May 2014.

Diamond, Stephen A. "Why Did Lee Harvey Oswald Kill John Fitzgerald Kennedy?"
Psychology Today 21 Nov. 2013: n. pag. Print.

National Archives. U.S. National Archives, Sep 1964. Web. 1 May 2014.

chapter-7.html>.

Lee Harvey Oswald's Motives. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2014.
.

"Lee Harvey Oswald." Biography.com. A&E Television Networks, LLC, n.d. Web. 2
May 2014. lee-harvey-oswald-9430309#oswald-killed-questions-remain&awesm=~oD8hO2ozOkq401>. Berry, Andrew. "Did Lee Harvey Oswald Kill JFK? The Top Five Conspiracy Theories as the 50th Anniversary of the JFK Assassination Nears." International
Business Times 13 Nov. 2013: n. pag. Print.

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