Part of a series of articles titled Women's History to Teach Year-Round.
Article
(H)our History Lesson: Through a Mother's Eyes, Rose Kennedy in Brookline
"Women's History to Teach Year-Round" provides manageable, interesting lessons that showcase women’s stories behind important historic sites. In this lesson, students explore the life and legacy of Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, mother of President John F. Kennedy.
This lesson was adapted by Talia Brenner and Katie McCarthy from the Teaching with Historic Places lesson plan, “Birthplace of John F. Kennedy: Home of the Boy Who Would Be President.” To find out more about this topic, explore the full lesson plan.
Grade Level Adapted For:
This lesson is intended for middle school learners but can easily be adapted for use by learners of all ages.
Lesson Objectives:
Learners will be able to...
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Consider the effects of an environment and community on the development of character and personality.
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Describe John F. Kennedy’s childhood home.
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Investigate their own family traditions, values, interests, and neighborhood.
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Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source.
Inquiry Question:
John F Kennedy was born and spent the early years of his life in this house in Brookline, Massachusetts. How do you think where someone grows up affects the type of person they become?
Background
Rose Fitzgerald grew up among the Boston political elite, as the daughter of two-time mayor John F. Fitzgerald. She married Joseph Kennedy, a wealthy businessman, in 1914. Following her marriage, Rose became a stay-at-home mother. She eventually had nine children.
The Kennedy family lived in the house at 83 Beals Street in Brookline, Massachusetts, from 1914 until 1921, when they moved to a larger home. In the late 1960s, Rose Kennedy re-purchased the house and restored it to its appearance when she and her family lived there. The home is now the John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site.
Document: A House Tour with Rose Kennedy
This document consists of excerpts from a transcript of a house tour with Rose Kennedy, John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site, 1969.
Living Room
We spent a lot of time in this room in the evening. Mr. Kennedy was president of a bank and this was his one opportunity to read the newspaper or his favorite detective stories. He would sit in that red chair by the gateleg table. We all read the Boston Transcript in the evening in those days. Usually I would sit in the wing chair by the table opposite him. I can't see that chair without remembering the holes in the children's stockings. They wore knickers then and the boys' knee stockings always had holes in them. They had to be darned once or twice a week.
When the children were ready for bed and had said their prayers they would come to the living room and play for a little while before we put them to bed....I spent a good deal of time reading to the children...I would make no engagements outside in the evening so that I could be with the children to help them with their school work, to doctor their colds, or to find out what activities they had been interested in during the day.
The piano was a wedding gift and at Christmas, with the tree over there by the south window, I would play and we would all sing Christmas carols. The children did not do too well with their piano lessons. Radio was a new thing then and they said that people wouldn't want to listen to them play when they could hear the same songs on the radio.
The pictures are copies of famous paintings I had studied in the European galleries. It gave me great pleasure to have these copies in my home and I thought it an inspiration for the children to grow up with them.
Master Bedroom
The president was born in the twin bed, near the window, on May 29th, 1917, at three o'clock in the afternoon....When you hold your baby in your arms the first time and you think of all the things you can say and do to influence him, it's a tremendous responsibility. What you do with him and for him can influence not only him, but everyone he meets and not for a day or a month or a year but for time and for eternity....When Jack was elected president, I thought how fortunate I was out of all the millions of mothers in the United States to be the one to have her son inaugurated president on that cold, cold day.
The pictures over the beds are copies of Italian paintings of the Madonna and Child I had seen and liked. My mother and father gave us Irish linen bedspreads, which were hand-embroidered with shamrocks, thistles and other Irish symbols and were great treasures. The photograph on Mr. Kennedy's dresser is of his mother and father. On the far wall are the traditional six month pictures of Joe Jr., Jack, Rosemary and Kathleen. Some people say that all babies look alike but I can tell the difference even at that age.
Nursery
This bassinet has been used by Kennedy children and grandchildren in the years since Joe Jr. and Jack first slept in it here in the nursery. The books were a favorite pastime. Probably Jack's favorite book was King Arthur and His Knights. I was very careful to select books which were recommended at school or by a children's bookshop. My children, however, were indifferent to these edifying selections for one of Jack's book treasures was Billy Whiskers, a story about a goat, which my mother bought in a department store. The illustrations seemed to me to be crude and the colors harsh but the boys adored the stories and delighted in the whole series, pictures and all.
The christening dress in the corner was given to me by my mother-in-law, who had it made by the Franciscan nuns in East Boston where the family lived. All the children and John Jr., the president’s son, have worn this dress. The little Irish bonnet, a gift, is profusely covered with shamrocks. The president was baptized at Saint Aidan’s, the neighborhood church. Mothers were confined for three weeks then, and so the celebration was always a small, informal family gathering. I wanted the children christened as soon as possible so I was never present at the ceremony.
There were more toys in here then of course. The president liked steam engines, teddy bears and the usual boys' toys, but especially books of adventure. You couldn't give a sick child a radio or a television set then, to keep him occupied, because there were none in 1917. We spent a lot of time reading and entertaining the children here in this room, particularly when Jack had scarlet fever in 1920.
Guest Room and Boudoir
In a house this size, with the number of children we had, this room alternated between being a guest room and later a children's bedroom. In those days it had a good clear view down the street and was a very pleasant room. It is furnished very much like our own bedroom with the Irish linen bedspread and the silver toilet set.
I used this smaller room as a study. On the desk is one of my wedding invitations and some early photographs of my family. Here I did my correspondence and kept a card file on the children's health. That was a most helpful system. I purchased a card file from the stationers near here and recorded all the important information about each of the children. It helped so much to be able to check back on symptoms of illness, weight, diet and all the important information, such as vaccinations, schick tests, confirmation dates, et cetera. I would recommend this idea to any mother.
Dining Room
This dining room might well have been the most important room in the house for much of our family life. While they were small, the children had their meals at the table by the window. The silver napkin rings and the porringers were used by the president and his older brother and carry their monograms. The silver tea set and coffee server were wedding presents. The china was also a gift from my sister-in-law, Margaret Kennedy Burke, who painted the gold border at Notre Dame Convent when she was a student. The children never knew which one would be called upon to say grace before meals, so they were all on their toes. On holidays I remember we would discuss the events which were being commemorated, such as the battle in Lexington and Concord on April 19th. On Sundays we would talk about the gospel at Mass. If they didn't pay attention one Sunday they would the next as they knew they would be questioned.
We didn't do much formal entertaining here. We preferred to have informal dinners with a few friends. Cocktail parties were not customary in those days. A little wine or champagne was served at weddings and christenings.
Kitchen
There on the stove you see the bean pot. We always ate Boston baked beans on Saturday nights. Warmed over for Sunday morning breakfast they were perfectly delicious with brown bread....With all the baby bottles to be sterilized, formulas to prepare and meals to cook this kitchen was a very busy place. During those hectic hours I would put the baby in the stroller, take two children by the hand, and with the dog following close behind, set out for the corner grocery store. On the way back we would usually stop for a visit at Saint Aidan's church. I wanted my children to realize that church was for every day in the week and not just for Sunday....
We were very happy here and although we did not know about the days ahead, we were enthusiastic and optimistic about the future.
Discussion Questions
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What values did Rose Kennedy try to instill in her children? What items in the house show these values?
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When she lived in the house, Rose Kennedy devoted her time to housework and raising four young children. How do you think her daily life when she lived in the house affected the way that she gave the tour many years later? Do you think that if Joseph Kennedy, Sr. (Rose Kennedy’s husband) were giving the tour, he would have made similar or different comments?
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Rose Kennedy experienced a tremendous amount of grief in her life. By 1969, when she gave this tour, four of her nine children had died. Joseph Kennedy Jr. was killed while fighting in World War II; Kathleen Kennedy died in a plane crash in 1948; President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963; and Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 while running for president. After Joseph Kennedy Sr. forced his daughter Rosemary Kennedy to have a lobotomy (a destructive brain surgery that is no longer performed) in 1941, he placed her in an institution away from the rest of her family. How do you think that the losses Rose Kennedy experienced affected the comments she made on her tour of the house?
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How do you think the environment John F Kennedy grew up in affected his values and personality as an adult?
Activity: A Tour of My Home
Have learners complete the following creative writing activity: Think of a home where you have lived and imagine that someone is giving a tour of it. It can be either a place you have lived before or where you currently live. Write a script that imagines how a tour guide who does not know you might describe the home. Now, write a script that shows how you would give a tour of the home.
After participants have written their scripts, discuss the following questions: What are some ways that your two scripts are different? Do your scripts describe different significance in the same items, or do they comment on different items altogether? Encourage participants to share examples from their individual work. How can knowing personal stories help people to understand historic places?
Wrap-up:
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How would you feel if someone giving a tour of your house said something you disagreed with? How would you make sure all the facts in your script are accurate?
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Think about some important events that happened in your house. How would the tours of your house be different if you were trying to focus on one of those important events instead of the others?
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Based on Rose Kennedy’s description of her Brookline home, what do you think she and her family valued? How might these values have impacted John F Kennedy’s childhood and upbringing?
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What are the values that your family finds most important? Can you find physical examples of these values in the way your house is set up?
Additional Resources:
John Fitzgerald Kennedy National Historic Site
The John Fitzgerald Kennedy NHS is a unit of the National Park System. The park's web pages provide a biographical sketch of JFK as well as information about the park.
John F. Kennedy Library and Museum
The John F. Kennedy Library and Museum, located in Boston, Massachusetts, is one of the Presidential Libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration. This website includes biographical information, presidential recordings, copies of speeches, and resources for educators.
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery serves as the final resting place for the thirty-fifth president. This website includes information and photographs about Kennedy's death and burial.
Discussion Questions
- What values did Rose Kennedy try to instill in her children? What items in the house show these values?
- When she lived in the house, Rose Kennedy devoted her time to housework and raising four young children. How do you think that her daily life when she lived in the house affected the way that she gave the tour many years later? Do you think that if Joseph Kennedy, Sr. (Rose Kennedy’s husband) were giving the tour, he would have made similar or different comments?
- Rose Kennedy experienced a tremendous amount of grief in her life. By 1969, when she gave this tour, four of her nine children had died. Joseph Kennedy Jr. was killed while fighting in World War II; Kathleen Kennedy died in a plane crash in 1948; President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1963; and Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968 while running for president. After Joseph Kennedy Sr. forced his daughter Rosemary Kennedy to have a lobotomy (a destructive brain surgery that is no longer performed) in 1941, he placed her in an institution away from the rest of her family. How do you think that the losses Rose Kennedy experienced affected the comments she made on her tour of the house?
Activity: A Tour of My Home
Have students complete the following creative writing activity: Think of a home where you have lived and imagine that someone is giving a tour of it. It can be either a place you have lived before or where you currently live. Write a script that imagines how a tour guide who does not know you might describe the home. Now, write a script that shows how you would give a tour of the home.
After students have written their scripts, discuss the following questions: What are some ways that your two scripts are different? Do your scripts describe different significance in the same items, or do they comment on different items altogether? Encourage students to share examples from their individual work. How can knowing personal stories help people to understand historic places?
Last updated: June 9, 2023