ideas society was deprived of with loss of RFK
Robert Kennedy’s Day of Affirmation Address
http://www.jfklibrary.org/Asset-Viewer/oS_BHcFynUepnkv95-EnSg.aspx
- The artifact was created by the JFK Presidential Library and Museum
- Artifact was created June 6, 1966
- The artifact was created at the University of Capetown, Capetown, South Africa
- The document was created as an affirmation address and discussed liberty and civil rights in the US.
- It is a primary source because it is a direct recording of Robert Kennedy as he gave the speech and saved by the JFK museum, a reliable source
- The source is trustworthy, as it saved in a historical museum which is highly acclaimed and located in Boston, MA.
- I would ask how it influenced the Democratic presidential race and what his oppositions views were to some of the ideas presented
The 68 election was crucial for the future of the United States. Robert Kennedy was a proud American who advocated civil rights and individual liberty. “A land which was once the importer of slaves, and now must struggle to wipe out the last traces of that former bondage. I refer, of course, to the United States of America.” This phrase from Kennedy in his speech illustrates his vision of eliminating cruel treatment and unjust actions towards the slaves and anything related to the matter. The topic of discrimination overshadowed our culture and was a very important conflict to be dealt with in the sixties. I would strive to hear the opinions and thoughts of other politicians regarding the same conflict and how they opposed or paralleled Kennedy. I would search other databases and ask historians who specialized in this conflict to gain more information. Speeches and documents written by political campaigns and leaders would be a good place to start. I would seek to find what actions Kennedy took while he was a politician to defend his words and how it affected the conflict. Agendas pursued and policies created would expose how much influence Kennedy had as well as the opinions of our common public and Americans. I would like to read news articles from different perspectives that could help uncover the impact Kennedy had on ridding discrimination while he was a politician. It is unfortunate that Robert Kennedy was assassinated during his campaign for president. His ideas and personality would have been a great benefit to our society going forward.
This is a great topic that showcases our countries ugly habit of eliminating people who were outspoken about our countries policies in regards to race and pacifism. RFK would have been a great spark in our efforts to create equality for everyone n the United States.
If this was made in 1966, the only thing I can think of is that it was too early because LBJ was president and nobody knew that he was not going to run again for President, since usually incumbents don’t any challengers to the election.
Good job, Robert.
This sentence:
seems to be at the heart of your investigation, but it’s not quite clear what you mean by this, particularly within the context of the 1968 election. This is an important component of honing in on and refining a historical question.
What, specifically, about RFK’s speech in South Africa in 1966 addressed the conflicts at the heart of that election? It’s not quite enough to say that RFK fought for civil rights, and civil rights were important in the 1968 election.
Keep these questions in mind as we move on to additional topics and projects-