Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis

Part fairy tale, part Shakespearean tragedy, too rich in intrigue and irony for any work of fiction, here is the story of the sheltered girl who became the world's most talked-about and admired woman. When Jackie Kennedy burst into the public eye in 1960, she represented youth, glamour and sophistication. With President Kennedy's assassination, she became the grieving widow. When she married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis five years later, she shocked the public and emerged as the jet-setting Jackie O. Her metamorphosis continued as she became a career woman, book editor and grandmother before the nation mourned her untimely death. This episode of Biography would be useful for classes on American History, Women's History, American Culture, Media Studies and Political Science. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.

• banal
• benign
• charisma
• coveted
• enigma
• enigmatic
• equestrian
• finesse
• fortitude
• kindred
• matriarch
• poignant
• poise
• prestigious
• rambunctious
• surrogate

1. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis was one of the world's most admired women. Why was she so admired? What was it about this woman that she commanded the respect and admiration of the world?

2. Although she was the most recognizable woman in the world, Jacqueline Kennedy fiercely guarded her privacy and personal life. Did Jacqueline Kennedy's desire for privacy and reluctance to be photographed by the paparazzi add to the mystery of Jacqueline Kennedy?

3. Jacqueline Kennedy's husband, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in 1963. How did Jacqueline, herself bereaved and shocked, assist the country to cope with and mourn the death of its president?

4. How did Jacqueline Kennedy add to the "Kennedy mystique?"

5. What was Jacqueline Kennedy's contribution to the preservation of American history?

6. Five years after the death of John Kennedy, Jacqueline married Greek shipping tycoon Aristotle Onassis. Why was there such a public furor over her marriage to Onassis? Why did the public feel it had the right to comment upon her marriage to Onassis?

7. After the death of Aristotle Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy became an editor and a career woman. How did her independence from the shadow of two powerful men, Kennedy and Onassis, permit her to blossom as an independent woman?

8. Compare Jacqueline Onassis with other first ladies. How was she different? How were her contributions unique?

9. Are there any similarities between Jacqueline Kennedy and Princess Diana?

10. What is the legacy of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis?

1. Write an obituary for Jacqueline Kennedy in which you explain her contributions to America and the America people.

2. Create a timeline that illustrates the events of Jacqueline Kennedy's life and their impact on America.

3. Write an essay in which you explain why you admire Jacqueline Kennedy. Also, include how Jacqueline Kennedy might have been a different person if she was born in 1959 instead of 1929. Would her role as first lady have been the same?

Related Videos

Air Dates

• March 13, 2003