Heather McArdle

April 10, 2012

History 100c
RFK Paper

What makes a great person? Is it their way of life growing up or maybe their opinions on topics
like war or family? Could a great person just be someone who wants to do what is right? Robert F.
Kennedy had many things going for him. Most people felt that he was a great person. There
probably were others who felt that Kennedy and his family got everything they deserved. There are
many things in life that can change our actions or opinion on different things. For example, a high
school girl who gets pregnant at the end of high school may decided to not go to college even though
she had applied to many of them and got accepted into her favorite one. Not going to college is a
choice she made. Another example could be Robert Kennedy. There were things that happened in his
life that made a direct impact on how he handled his decisions. Getting pregnant in high school
obviously was not one of them, but there were things that happened to him that could have happened to
anyone. Did he learn from these experiences or did he just push on doing what he has always been
doing?
Robert Kennedy's background had a major role in his actions. At a young age of 18 years old,
Robert lost his brother Joe Jr. 18 years old is old enough to know about death and to feel the sorrow
and hurt that his family felt. Joe Jr. was the oldest brother. John F. Kennedy was also injured int eh
war with spinal injuries, but he did recuperate John had saved many lives in the accident that created
his injuries (Palermo, 15). The family was happy that John was home and safe, but now they have the
hurt and sorrow of loosing Joe Jr. Robert's father, Joseph, still ordered the family to continue on their
day. They went sailing. Joseph did not go with his family. He stayed back and went into a state of

mourning for his son. Joe Jr. was a role model for Robert and seeing his dad and his older brother John
react the way they did, shattered him. He still put on a straight face and did what his father told him to
do. He his his feelings and kept them inside. He knew no that he was the second oldest Kennedy son,
he had to help John, the oldest, with whatever he needed (Palermo, 15). Joseph Sr. gave everything to
his kids. This family came from money and used that money whenever possible to further their
political careers As Robert was a young boy, there were many trips to other countries as his father was
the US Ambassador. These trips gave a good incite into what the world was like. The Learning
experiences that Robert had, were amazing. He probably felt like it was just another day int eh life of
the Kennedy's, but to the everyday Joe, this was an amazing life. At 12 years old, Robert moved to
England. Robert and his siblings had everything handed to them. After Joe Jr. died, Robert decided he
want to take on the role with his father of the one who he talks about history and politics. His father
did just that. His father was now paying real attention to Robert, and Robert decided to work hard to
win and keep his father's approval (Palermo, 16). Joseph Kennedy wanted John, the oldest, the get into
politics. Robert decided to help his brother with whatever he needed. This promotes strong family ties.
The Kennedy parents really was the poster family to helping each other. Growing up, a lot of
opportunities were given to Robert and his brother John. This bond between them kept their family
together.
Civil Rights is a topic that has been in the minds of the general public for years. There were
many civil Rights demonstrations during the time that Robert Kennedy was in office as Attorney
General and even before that when his brother John was in office. On October 19, 1960, Martin Luther
King Jr. was doing a sit-in in a room at the Rich's Department Store in Atlanta. As King was leaving,
he was arrested due to a minor traffic violation. He was put in jail and was refused bail. He was
sentenced to hard time on a state road gang. In transit to the penitentiary, he sat in the back of a police
car for a very long time. At this time, the police where not good friends with the minority. They were
the ones who handed over the black people to the KKK. King's wife Coretta, called a friend of the

Kennedy's and begged for help. John called Coretta and expressed his concern. At first, Robert was
furious about the phone call. He said that because of John's phone call, ...he probably lost it for us
(Palermo, 47). He thought that the phone call messed up the image of the Kennedy's and had lost the
election. As time went on, Robert actually had a change of heart. He really thought about what he
brother had done and realized that he should be mad at the Judge that ordered King's punishment, not at
his brother for consoling an upset, pregnant wife. This was the point where Robert decided to take his
own action. He stepped up and called the Judge himself. He called Judge Mitchel himself. Some
people think that Robert went after the Judge for not being American. What happened next was the
opposite of what Robert thought was going to happen. The Kennedy's, showing that they have a heart,
actually became very popular with the African American population. The brothers were trying to right
what was wrong. Isn't this what a good person does? They help others in need without wanting
anything for themselves. King was finally released and he said it was all thanks to the Kennedys. In a
speech he said I am deeply indebted to Senator Kennedy who served as a great force in making my
release possible. For him to be courageous shows that he is really acting upon principle and not
expediency (Palermo, 48). This encouraged the voters to go with Kennedy.
The War was also another issue with Robert Kennedy. Kennedy found himself on the same
trajectory as King in the opposition to the Vietnam War (Palermo, 115). AS Kennedy was Senator, he
really began to see what was going on with the US involvment in the Vietnam War. He felt that
Johnson had other intentions with the war. Johnson kept pushing for constant fighting. He didn't was
to back down and didn't want any treaties signed that dealt with peace. Seeing the war at home with
the civil rights issue, really made hi think about the War abroad. Robert quotes from Sophocles
Antigone All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and
repairs the evil (Palermo, 120). He was aware of some of the stuff that was going on between the US
and Vietnam. He knew what Johnson was doing and what he was fighting for, but was not able to stop
it. He knew he wanted to help stop the evil and wanted to find a way to bring the soldiers home. Why

would anyone who has gone through such tragedies want to run for President? He had lost his oldest
brother Joe Jr. to the War, he lost his sister in a plane crash when she was in her 20's, he lost his brother
John who was murdered and his father almost died form a massive heart attack. He looked up to his
brothers and when John was killed, he didn't know what to do. He didn't want to run for President at
first. He really took his time thinking about it. When he was doing a speech in front of many people,
he got word that MLK was killed. He had to deliver this message to his followers. King was his
friend. He really showed through his speech that he cared for the people.
Does any of this evidence show that Robert Kennedy was a good person? Did Robert grow in
any way to become the President he almost was? Yes he did. Even though this one man had gone
through so many tragedies but loosing many of his family members, he still pressed on. He fought for
the people. He wanted to do what was right and create world with a little more peace and a lot less
violence. This man was for the people, not the fame. The loss of his family member was probably one
of the factors who made him the man he was. He wanted to make his father and brothers proud of him.
He did just that. If Robert had not been shot, could the world have been a different place? It would
have been nice to see. Could some of the policies that Robert want to push forward made the war end
sooner? Possibly There are just so many questions of what if. Robert was a good person.