Kelly Moriarty

Com 121-1211
Mr.Walentis
22 Sep 2017

Moriarty 1

The Greatest Eulogy in History

The crowds cheers vibrated through the walls of the flatbed truck. Robert F.
Kennedy stood in front of hundreds of African Americans at the corner of 17th and Broadway in
Indianapolis. The date was April 4th, 1968, and he was about to deliver one of the most important
speeches in history. Martin Luther King had just been assassinated, and unbeknownst to
Kennedy at the time, but this would be widely considered Kings eulogy. Kennedys team
advised him not to embrace the crowd, and to abandon this stop on the tour. Fear of violence due
to the news of the assassination, did not keep Kennedy from doing the right thing though.
Robert Kennedys decision to stand up in a time of fear and hardship to honor one of the
greatest civil rights activists in the world was a very courageous thing to do.
In 1968, tension between Caucasians and African Americans was at an all-time
high in America. African Americans were being segregated from caucasian people. Signs
identified which water fountains were for black people, and which were for white people. This
segregation led to race riots all across America in major cities. Martin Luther King was a man
that offered such peace and hope for equality. He stood for peace among all people, regardless of
race, religious beliefs, and socioeconomic standings. The Atlanta Inquirer recalls that Kennedy
remembered King as a man that dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human
beings (Atlanta Inquirer 1998). The sudden assassination of this beacon of hope was sure to
absolutely devastate those who were looking to him to help fix the racial tension and establish
equal rights for blacks. Being that he was campaigning for the presidency, Kennedy found out
about Kings death before the public did. When Kennedy had learned of his assassination, he was

Kelly Moriarty
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put in a very difficult place. His campaign had him scheduled for a speech in the heart of
Indianapoliss African American community.
Kennedys team urged him to abandon his stop in Indianapolis to avoid risk of
being injured in a riot. Riots had been occurring throughout major cities in the past years due to
the separation of races. Kennedy knew, though, that these individuals cheering outside needed to
hear the truth. Police seized their escort service and left Kennedy and his crew by themselves in
the heart of what was suspected to become a riot, rooted in extreme racial tensions. The police
were even afraid to enter that part of town in that dangerous moment. To deliver the news that
one of the greatest individuals in American history has been assassinated is an extremely difficult
thing to do. In Lewis Sussmans The Oratory Tragedy of Martin Luther King and Robert F.
Kennedy, we are reminded that this speech was remarkable and became a landmark in
American political discourse (Sussman 65). Standing up in the face of fear to do what is right in
a time of sadness shows great strength and character. Kennedys rigidity and unfaltering courage
in a time of heartbreak laid the ground work for one of the most historic speeches ever given in
the history of the civil rights movement.
While giving the speech, Kennedy never looked down to read his notes. Kennedy
maintained eye contact and truly connected and empathized with the individuals before him.
Many politicians lacked this ability to connect with their people with their hearts, not their mind.
Kennedy found a way to do this at a time when his people needed him to most. Billie Bo, an
African American of Indianapolis, recalled for National Public Radio the night he stood at 17th
and Broadway to hear Kennedy give his speech. Bo said, And I remember, most importantly,
him saying that he has had a member of his family killed by a white man (NPR). Kennedys

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willingness to recall the tragic loss of his brother John F. Kennedy in order to display a common
bond between him and the crowd shows great empathy.
Courage is commonly referred to as the ability to do something that frightens someone.
Even though Kennedy may have been afraid of the crowds response to such devastating news, he
did not let that keep him from doing the right thing. Jill Zuckman of the Boston Globe highlights
something very significant about the effects of Kennedys speech on Indianapolis in her article
Clinton pays tribute to fateful night in 1968 Indianapolis undertakes memorial to honor Robert
F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Kennedy, who was running for president, appealed for
peace and unity. And while other cities were gripped by riots and fires, Indianapolis found the
strength to grieve without turning upon itself (Zuckman). Nearly every major city experienced
fires and riots after the news of the assignation of King, except for Indianapolis. It was
Kennedys words, in the heart of Indianapolis, that kept those individuals from rioting. Those
people had embodied what King had always strived for, peace among all people. Today, the
corner of 17th and Broadway is adorned with a monument for Robert F. Kennedy. A landmark
for peace, writes John Broder of the Los Angeles Times. It stands to honor a mans unfaltering
desire to do right by his country.
Robert F. Kennedys willingness to deliver a speech about peace and honor Martin Luther
King showed great bravery and vigor. The environment in which Kennedy delivered the speech
was dangerous and frightening to him and his staff. He made a decision to do the right thing,
though, and not the easy thing. Kennedys words touched the hearts of all Americans, especially
those in Indianapolis. Due to his wise words and empathetic connection, the people of
Indianapolis did not riot over the assignation of King. Instead, they lived what King had spent his

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whole life trying to achieve. They remained at peace, and mourned the loss of one of the greatest
civil rights activist in the country. It was Kennedys bravery in a time of unrest that led to this
peace.

Kelly Moriarty
Com 121-1211
Mr.Walentis
22 Sep 2017

Moriarty 5

Works Cited
Broder, John M. "Clinton Calls for Unity Where RFK Once Invoked it Memorial: President
Helps Dedicate `Landmark for Peace,' Where Robert Kennedy Gave Stirring
Speech on

Night of Martin Luther King Jr.'s Murder." Los Angeles Times (pre-1997

Fulltext): 12.

May 15 1994. ProQuest. Web. 23 Sep. 2014 .

"Robert F. Kennedy on the Death of Martin Luther King." Atlanta Inquirer: 4. Apr 04 1998.
ProQuest. Web. 23 Sep. 2014 .
Robert F. Kennedy: Delivering the News of Kings Death. Morning Edition. NPR. Natl. Public
Radio. Web. 22 Oct. 2009.
Sussman, Lewis A. The Oratory of Tragedy: Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy April
3-4, 1968." Classical Bulletin 84.2 (2008): 65-75. ProQuest. Web. 23 Sep. 2014.
Zuckman, Jill. "Clinton Pays Tribute to Fateful Night in 1968 Indianapolis Undertakes Memorial
to Honor Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King." Boston Globe (pre-1997 Fulltext):
2. May 15 1994. ProQuest. Web. 23 Sep. 2014 .