Remarks on the Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Robert F. Kennedy

Robert F. Kennedy

Directly after law school, Kennedy joined the U.S. Department of Justice’s Criminal Division in 1951. In 1952, he resigned the position to lead his older brother John’s senatorial campaign. Robert was appointed Attorney General of the United States in 1960. After John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Robert was elected to the U.S. Senate representing the state of New York.

Historical Perspective

Robert F. Kennedy gave this speech April 4, 1968 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The reason for Robert to give the speech was to announce that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated. The impact of this speech was depressing, but it also angered many people. This news immediately led to riots and in many cities across the nation.

Theme

The United States should carry on and complete what Martin Luther King Jr. was trying to accomplish.

Key Points

“Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort.”

Robert F. Kennedy is stating that Martin Luther King Jr. died trying to make peace between people.

“In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it's perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in.”

This quote states that the United States is going through a tough time, and needs to figure out how they can get through it.

“For those of you who are black -- considering the evidence evidently is that there were white people who were responsible -- you can be filled with bitterness, and with hatred, and a desire for revenge.”

In saying this Kennedy is saying that because a white man has killed MLK, so many black people should be angry and want revenge.

“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 and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another,…”

He says that in the US we can’t have hate or violence, but we need to make things right between us all.

“We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times. We've had difficult times in the past, but we -- and we will have difficult times in the future.”

He states that we’ve had and will have tough times in our country but we must get through them.

Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort. In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States, it's perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black -- considering the evidence evidently is that there were white people who were responsible -- you can be filled with bitterness, and with hatred, and a desire for revenge.

We can move in that direction as a country, in greater polarization -- black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites, filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand, and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, compassion, and love.

Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between

fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that

effort.Robert F. Kennedy

Bonus

  “In this difficult day, in this difficult time for the United States,” – Repetition, Parallelism

“black people amongst blacks, and white amongst whites,” – Parallelism

“We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times. We've had difficult times in the past, but we -- and we will have difficult times in the future.” – Repetition

“It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it's not the end of disorder.” – Repetition , Parallelism

“And let's dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.” – Restatement