No tags yet.
Not even five years after the assassination of his older brother--John F. Kennedy--Robert F. Kennedy was murdered at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, California in the midst of his campaign for the Democratic Party’s nomination for president. The perpetrator, a man named Sirhan Sirhan, committed the crime on June 5, 1968 because of his resentment towards Kennedy’s support of the Six-Day War intervention in Israel.
Leading Up to the Assassination
Ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine since 1948
1966: Sirhan Sirhan—at 12 years old—and his family emigrate to the U.S. from Palestine
Robert Kennedy begins running for president on March 16, 1968
RFK attempts to send 50 fighter jet bombers to Israel to combat Palestinians
June 5,1968: a year since the start of the Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt, Syria, & Jordan & the day Robert Kennedy is shot by Sirhan Sirhan
June 6, 1968: Robert Kennedy dies in the hospital
How Did the Assassination Affect the Nation?
The greatest change that came as a result of this event was the way the Secret Service operated. After William McKinley was shot and killed in 1901, the Secret Service went from preventing counterfeiting of U.S. currency to protecting presidents as well. Then when a presidential candidate—Robert Kennedy—was murdered, it was evident that they needed to be kept safe as well. The only people protecting him at the time were an NFL player who was his friend/bodyguard and an ex-FBI agent/New York bank officer.
Can This Connect to Today?
Today--50 years after the conflict between Israel and Palestine caused the death of Robert Kennedy--there continues to be tension between the two nations and the U.S. continues to get involved.
In December of 2017, President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and declared his plan to establish a U.S. embassy there. Israel considers the entirety of Jerusalem as theirs, but Palestine is still fighting to claim East Jerusalem as their capital, so the President’s announcement has added to the tension.
Since the effects of the conflict in other countries are evident in the U.S., there are important questions that we, as a nation, need to be asking ourselves. Is helping another country worth losing an important political figure? Is it even the United States’s responsibility to side with Israel and provide aide?
Work Cited
“Sirhan Sirhan.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 19 May 2015, www.biography.com/people/sirhan-sirhan.
Cohen, Alex. “RFK Assassination Sparked Secret Service Change.” NPR, NPR, 4 June 2008, www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91122836.
“Bobby Kennedy Is Assassinated.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/bobby-kennedy-is-assassinated.