Robert Kennedy: His Life Post 5

Kennedy was on the campaign trail on his quest to become president when martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed in Memphis. He gave a speech to a rapidly growing African American crowd. He had to tell them that Dr. King was dead. To them, he said this:

"My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He wrote: "In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in out own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God" (367).

He later continued on this idea by saying:

"What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within out country, whether they be white or they be black" (367).

He urged them not to take out their anger and sadness in a negative way, but rather in a way that would help the greater whole of the country instead of making a terrible situation worse. He was also able to connect with the crowd because his brother, John F. Kennedy, had been assasinated similar to Martin Luther King Jr. i can not imagine how hard it must have been for RFK to give this speech. His advisors didn't even want him to go into the crowd because they were afraid for his safety. I do not think a single person would have wanted to trade places with him during that speech. Not only was it very personal for him, making it very difficult to stay composed, but when he broke the news to the crowd, they were extremely saddened and angered. However, he took this energy and somehow turned it into a want to better our country. His words were inspiring in a time of extreme sadness. This skill helped Kennedy connect with Americans and helped him be remembered for the person we honor him for being today.