Make Gentle the Life of this World: The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy

Robert F. Kennedy

Harcourt Brace, 1998 - Biography & Autobiography - 188 pages

Whether written in the tumult of his years as Attorney General, in anguished moments of grief, or during the exciting months of his last campaign, Robert F. Kennedy's words are a call for commitment. Here, from his private journal, are words that spark the imagination and touch the heart, accompanied by photographs from the Kennedy family archive. Published to coincide with the 30th anniversary of RFK's assassination on June 6, 1998.

Contents

• Freedom: 23
• Debate and Dissent: 29
• Civil Rights 35 Crime and Violence: 45

About the author

Robert "Bobby" Kennedy was the seventh of nine children in the wealthy Kennedy family of Massachusetts. When his elder brother John F. Kennedy became President in 1961, Robert was named Attorney General. The brothers had worked together during the campaign, with Robert serving as his brother's campaign manager. Robert Kennedy had been educated at Harvard University, served in the Navy during World War II, and received his law degree from Virginia Law School in 1951. Then he worked in the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice in 1951 and 1952, where he helped prosecute corruption and income-tax invasion cases. In the following years he served as congressional investigator for committees on Un-American Activities and on Improper Activities in Labor and Management. In 1961 Kennedy became Attorney General under President John F. Kennedy, and stayed on under President Lyndon B. Johnson. In that position he actively promoted civil rights by prosecuting people who violated the civil rights of minorities. He continued his pursuit of civil rights when he became Senator from New York in 1964. He also worked for antipoverty programs, medicare, and other social programs, and spoke out strongly against escalating involvement in Vietnam. Kennedy set out to campaign for the Democratic nomination for President in the 1968 election. He won five of the six primaries he entered and was becoming a formidable challenger, when Sirhan Sirhan, an Arab immigrant, shot him fatally on June 5, 1968.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Make Gentle the Life of this World: The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy
• Author: Robert F. Kennedy
• Editor: Maxwell Taylor Kennedy
• Contributor: Maxwell Taylor Kennedy
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Harcourt Brace, 1998
• ISBN: 0151003564, 9780151003563
• Length: 188 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Historical; Biography & Autobiography / Political; History / United States / 20th Century; Political Science / General; Reference / Quotations; Self-Help / General