The Revolution of Robert Kennedy: From Power to Protest After JFK

Robert F. Kennedy was the Attorney General of the United States in the administration of his brother. The tempestuous events of November 22, 1963 see his brother assassinated and himself thrust into the limelight. He was viewed as cunning and ruthless. The public was not privy to his grieving and sorrow after JFK’s death. Robert’s position as Attorney General was now on shaky ground, his access to the White House curtailed. Robert would look for ways to evolve. He would contemplate a VP slot in 1964, but his relations with Lyndon Johnson assured that wouldn’t happen. Robert would eventually run for Senate in New York in 1964, and, despite resistance in some areas, he would triumph. His short tenure in the Senate would allow some of his revolutionary ideas to take hold, especially regarding the deteriorating situations in Vietnam, Latin America, and the United States. His shepherding of the Civil Rights Bill would be remembered, but would the rest of his accomplishments?

Robert Kennedy’s life has been chronicled in countless biographies since his untimely death in 1968. John Bohrer has added more to a life cut short by senseless violence by detailing Bobby Kennedy’s outreach to the disenfranchised, poor, and oppressed. The biography shows that there is much more to be written for those willing to explore it. Excellent; I wish it didn’t have to end.