This is the first historical study to place the creation of the site within the larger context of the US preservation movement and the establishment of two other important presidential homes: George Washington Birthplace in Virginia, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt's home in New York. The study also incorporates substantial new research on the individual items that Rose Kennedy chose to furnish the home, including items she chose not to include. This section of the study makes clear that the John F. Kennedy Birthplace is both a product of the larger preservation movement and a very personal expression of the president's mother.