10 – Kennedy’s Death Changed American History
Whatever the difficulties we face trying to determine what would have happened had RFK avoided assassination and became the president, we do know that the face of history would have been changed. Kennedy’s anti-war stance was real, and there is simply no way he would have kept troops in Vietnam for so many years. Obviously, there would have been no Watergate scandal nor would Spiro Agnew have been allowed to darken the door of the White House. It is also likely that America would not have overthrown Chile’s democratically elected government.
During his presidential campaign, RFK continually said: “There must be a revolution.” He was not referring to a revolution on the streets. Instead, he meant a spiritual and mental revolution. His proponents maintain that he genuinely wanted to change the mindset of the American people for the better. It is also likely that Kennedy would have brought fresh impetus to the table with regards to John’s New Frontier initiative along with the Great Society programs of Lyndon B. Johnson.
The 1960s had been a turbulent decade which began with the Civil Rights Movement and ended with the moon landing. Although the Voting Rights Act was signed into law in 1965 and outlawed a variety of discriminatory voting practices that had plagued southern states since the aftermath of the Civil War, America was very much a nation divided along the lines of race. This was evidenced by the number of riots that occurred in the latter half of the decade, including the infamous Watts Riot which began just five days after the Voting Rights Act was finalized.
It is impossible to say how successful Kennedy would have been, but there seems little doubt that he would have tried to tackle the race issue head-on. As well as attempted racial reconciliation, Kennedy would probably have tried to reduce income gaps in the United States. There are those who will doubtless gleefully point out his flaws, but it is a safe bet that his presidency would have been significantly better than that of Nixon’s. Today, America faces many of the same social and racial issues as it did back then. Sirhan Sirhan ended Senator Kennedy’s life and robbed America of the chance to see what President Kennedy could have done.
Where Did We Find This Stuff? Here are our sources:
“The Robert Kennedy Assassination.” Mary Ferrell Foundation.
“Did the CIA Kill Bobby Kennedy?” Shane O’ Sullivan, The Guardian. November 2006.
“How Robert F. Kennedy’s Death Shattered the Nation.” Kenneth T. Walsh, U.S. News. June 2015.
“What If? [Robert Kennedy had not been assassinated?]” PBS. 2011