In His Own Right: The Political Odyssey of Senator Robert F. Kennedy / Edition 1

by Joseph Palermo

Overview

Robert Kennedy's role in American politics during the 1960s was pivotal yet has defied attempts to define it. He was a junior senator from New York, but he was also much more. The public perceived him as possessing the intangible qualities of his brother, the slain president. From 1965 to 1968 Kennedy struggled to find his own voice in national affairs.

In His Own Right examines this crucial period of Robert Kennedy's political career, combining the best of political biography with a gripping social history of the social movements of the 1960s. How did Kennedy make the transformation from cold warrior to grassroots activist, from being a political operator known for ruthlessness toward his opponents to becoming, by 1968, a "tribune of the underclass"? Based on never before seen documents, this intimate portrait of one of the most respected politicians never elected president describes Robert Kennedy's relationship with such well-known activists and political players as Benjamin Spock, Eugene McCarthy, Allard Lowenstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez, as well as the ordinary men and women who influenced Kennedy's views as he came to stand in the public arena and in the national consciousness as a man and a leader in his own right.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780231120692
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	07/03/2002
Series:	Columbia Studies in Contemporary American History
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	506,252
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Joseph A Palermo lectures at the University of California, Santa Cruz. He has written for Peace & Change and other journals.

Table of Contents

Preface
Acknowledgments
Prologue: The Odyssey Begins
1. On His Own: Kennedy's Evolving Critique of the War, May 1965–February 1966
2. A Slow Path to Peace: Kennedy Calls for a Negotiated Settlement, March 1966–March 1967
3. At the Center of the Storm: Kennedy and the Shifting Political Winds of 1967
4. "The Hottest Place in Hell": Kennedy, the Democrats, and the McCarthy Candidacy
5. The Collapse of the Myths: Kennedy, Johnson, and the Tet Offensive, January–February 1968
6. The Breaking Point: Kennedy Responds to Tet, February 8, 1968
7. Fifteen Days in March: Kennedy Challenges Johnson, March 1968
8. Civil Rights and the Urban Rebellions, Kennedy, King, and the Politics of Race, 1965-1968
9. Building a Coalition: Kennedy and the Primaries, March 16–May 28, 1968
10. California: Kennedy's Last Campaign, May–June 1968
Conclusion: A Potential Unrealized
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

This agile and richly documented narrative contributes substantially to the political history of the 1960's.

James W. Hiltyn Historical Review

Palermo does a fine job of attempting to link Kennedy to social movements and grass-roots mobilization by groups in this country. His book is a well-researched, clearly written study that is well worth reading.

Rhetoric and Public Affairs

An important contribution to Kennedy scholarship, a highly readable and sympathetic portrayal of RFK.

Journal of American History

Joseph Palermo's superb account of Robert Kennedy's final four years... deserves close attention not only because [he] exhaustively researched the available primary documents and secondary literature, but because, for all his admiration for the way Kennedy turned himself into a different person and politician by 1968, [Palermo] understands the harsh choices the New York senator had to make after 1964, then explains those choices with both a sure grasp of the politics and an admirable succinctness.

— Walter LaFeber

The Bookpress

This agile and richly documented narrative contributes substantially to the political history of the 1960's.

— James W. Hilty

American Historical Review

Joseph Palermo's superb account of Robert Kennedy's final four years . . . deserves close attention not only because [he] exhaustively researched the available primary documents and secondary literature, but because, for all his admiration for the way Kennedy turned himself into a different person and politician by 1968, [Palermo] understands the harsh choices the New York senator had to make after 1964, then explains those choices with both a sure grasp of the politics and an admirable succinctness.

Walter LaFeber

Robert Kennedy used his position as senator from New York (1965-68) to lead a coalition of grass-roots voters members of the peace and Civil Rights movements, African Americans, members of the working class in a fight for the liberal soul of the Democratic party while making a credible challenge for the 1968 presidency, notes Palermo (Cornell Univ.). He struggled with President Johnson, who attacked his patriotism because he was an early advocate of a negotiated peace settlement in Vietnam, and with Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Johnson's hawkish surrogate, who continued the fight over Vietnam during their battle for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination. "Peace candidate" Eugene McCarthy is portrayed as an indifferent senator with a poor record on civil rights who lost many votes and credibility when Kennedy replaced the Vietnam issue as his focus. Evan Thomas's Robert Kennedy: His Life (LJ 8/00) and Jeff Shesol's Mutual Contempt (LJ 9/15/97) offer more lively accounts of Kennedy's feuds, but Palermo provides a thorough investigation of RFK as political leader that is a worthy continuation of the years covered in James Hilty's Robert Kennedy: Brother Protector (LJ 4/15/98). Strongly recommended for academic collections and recommended for larger public libraries. Karl Helicher, Upper Merion Twp. Lib., King of Prussia, PA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

Discusses Senator Robert Kennedy's tenure as an elected official, from January, 1965 through his presidential campaign, which was cut short by his assassination in June of 1968. Palermo's (Cornell U. and Colgate College) analysis focuses on correspondence to Kennedy from peace activists, African Americans, and Latinos and the effect they had on Kennedy's political stance. Particular attention is paid to Kennedy's critique of the Vietnam War and his views on racism and poverty. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Joseph Palermo's superb account of Robert Kennedy's final four years... deserves close attention not only because [he] exhaustively researched the available primary documents and secondary literature, but because, for all his admiration for the way Kennedy turned himself into a different person and politician by 1968, [Palermo] understands the harsh choices the New York senator had to make after 1964, then explains those choices with both a sure grasp of the politics and an admirable succinctness.

The Bookpress - Walter LaFeber

This agile and richly documented narrative contributes substantially to the political history of the 1960's.

American Historical Review - James W. Hilty