Robert F. Kennedy's speech on Martin Luther King

This study guide will help you analyze Robert F. Kennedy’s statement on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. (1968). In addition to help for your speech analysis, you can find a summary of the text and ideas for putting it into perspective.

Excerpt from the study guide:

Audience

Robert F. Kennedy delivers his speech at a rally in an African-American ghetto in Indianapolis, in front of a predominantly black crowd. The rally was attended by about 2,500 people, who found out about Martin Luther King Jr.’s death from Kennedy.

Kennedy mainly targets black Americans in his speech: “For those of you who are black--considering the evidence there evidently is that there were white people who were responsible--you can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge”. Although he claims that he understands the hatred of African-Americans towards whites – and, implicitly, towards the white assassin – Kennedy calls for “an effort to understand with compassion and love”.

He also targets all American citizens regardless of their race and draws attention to the fact that “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 who abide in our land”. Kennedy also focuses on the immediate response to the tragic event, which risks dividing whites and blacks.