Robert F. Kennedy on the
Death of Martin Luther King, Jr.
Speech given by Robert F. Kennedy, April 4, 1968, at Indianapolis, Indiana
BookBuilder created by Mikal Mann
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On April 4, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy learned that Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. had been assassinated. Mr. Kennedy was then on the campaign trail in order to secure the Democratic presidential nomination and was due to speak that evening in Indianapolis, Indiana. The speech he gave that night has been considered by many to be one of the greatest speeches in the history of the United States.
As a 5th grade social studies teacher, I hope to help my students perceive the importance of this speech at this difficult, tragic, and tense moment in US history, as well as the value of the message in dealing with issues of difference today. I hope, in designing this BookBuilder version of the speech, to enable my fairly young students to comprehend the issues surrounding Mr. Kennedy and why his speaking on this occasion was a courageous act, while concurrently encouraging them to also act bravely when necessary.
To assist my students, I have embedded the following supports into the BookBuilder:
- Descriptions of the historical and cultural context of the speech as they appear in the speech and transcript via Coach Mike.
- Explanations of the application of the speech to modern life through Coach Susan.
- Summaries of main ideas by Coach Bot. This is intended to assist students with learning or reading difficulties to understand the core ideas of each passage.
- Hyperlinks to definitions or other media that will enhance students' learning and explain difficult words and concepts.
- Recordings of the audio of the speech or on-screen text to assist low-vision or dyslexic students to access the material.
- Questions for application on each page to assist students apply the ideas to modern conditions and their own lives.
Preface
Robert F. Kennedy was a politician who was trying to get elected President of the United States in 1968. He was traveling in the state of Indiana to give a speech to voters when he was told that his friend, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the African-American civil rights leader, had been shot and killed in Tennessee. Robert was scheduled to speak to a group of primarily African-American supporters who did not know that Dr. King had been assassinated. The people would certainly be angry when they found out what had happened, and Robert did not know what to say to them.
The police told Robert to not give the speech. They were afraid that the people would riot in anger when they were informed what had happened, which might lead them to hurt or kill Robert. This was because the person who had killed Dr. King was white, and Robert was also white. The police thought that the people might only see Robert's race and view him as part of what killed their leader, rather than as a friend and ally.
Mr. Kennedy thought it was more important to tell the people the truth and show them he would stand with them. He traveled to the meeting, stood up on a flatbed truck, and began to speak to the audience.
This is what Mr. Robert Kennedy said:
"Ladies and Gentlemen - I'm only going to talk to you just for a minute or so this evening. Because... I have some very sad news for all of you.
I have some very sad news for all of you, and I think sad news for all of our fellow citizens, and people who love peace all over the world, and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis, Tennessee.
(Shocked gasp from crowd)
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.
For those of you who are black and are tempted to be filled with hatred and mistrust of the injustice of such an act, against all white people, I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed, but he was killed by a white man.
But we have to make an effort in the United States, we have to make an effort to understand, to get beyond these rather difficult times.
My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He once wrote: "Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God."
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, and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country, whether they be white or whether they be black.
(Interrupted by applause)
So I ask you tonight to return home, to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King, yeah that's true, but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country, which all of us love - a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke. We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times. We've had difficult times in the past. And we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it's not the end of disorder.
But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together, want to improve the quality of our life, and want justice for all human beings that abide in our land.
(Interrupted by applause)
Let us 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.
Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people. Thank you very much.
(Applause)
On April 4, 1968, many riots broke out in cities across the United States, including in New York, Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, Detriot, and Washington DC. However, one did not break out in Indianapolis, much thanks to Robert F. Kennedy's speech.
The Landmark for Peace Memorial, pictured above, shows statues of Robert and Dr. King reaching out for each other above a pathway. It was installed in 1995 in the Martin Luther King, Jr. Park, which is near the location Robert gave his speech. It stands today to remind us of the importance of each person saying and doing the right thing, even when it is scary.