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Robert F Kennedy's Accomplishments

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Robert F Kennedy's Accomplishments
In the late 20th century, the United States was going through profound change and Americans were faced with criminal injustice, racial controversy, and national crises. Robert F. Kennedy became one of the most influential men in the 1960s. He was born on November 20th, 1925 in Brookline, Massachusetts and died by assassination on June 6th, 1968 in Los Angeles, California. His career began as chief counsel from 1957 to 1960, serving in the United States Senate Rackets Committee, which dealt with organized crimes among trade unions. As 1960 settled in, Robert Kennedy helped with John F. Kennedy’s campaign which boosted his growing reputation as one of the toughest in American politics, demonstrated when he played a “bad cop” role in a good cop/bad …show more content…
He was “...appalled by the violence and corruption associated with this Mafia-related activity, relentlessly fought a virtual war against the criminal element, focusing on corrupt Teamster Union presidents David Beck and Jimmy Hoffa.”(_____) His relentless tracking and fighting of Teamster Union presidents, both in the real and virtual world contributed to his increasing reputation of being a tough and determined American politician. Eventually, Kennedy moves on to be attorney general and “...adopted the rationale that ends justify the means.” (_____) This motto that Robert Kennedy embraced showed how he was willing to cross legal boundaries if the outcomes would benefit the United States, wasn’t afraid to take any actions possible to obtain information or the criminals behind the crimes, and that his reputation of being tough-minded and on the offense prevailed throughout his career. “Despite having never tried a case in court, Kennedy proved to be an able manager of the Justice Department, leading the office through a time of pronounced social change as African Americans sought recognition of their civil rights and urban residents looked to gain equal representation …show more content…
He convinced his brother, president John F. Kennedy, to attempt a more peaceful resolution to the missile crisis. Robert Kennedy was one of many in charge of ensuring every possible option to protect the United States was being considered and analyzed. He abandoned his position of an airstrike against missile sites in Cuba and advocated establishing a naval blockade to halt the Soviet ships carrying missiles, along with a diplomatic settlement. As the action to be taken against the Soviet Union’s threat was undetermined, “He continually challenged the morality of launching a preemptive air strike on the missile sites, a solution favored by former secretary of state Dean Acheson and others.” (____) His arguments had “...done much to sway President Kennedy in favor of attempting the less-aggressive solution first.” (___) Robert Kennedy acted as a link between organizations and President Kennedy. Kennedy first started by, “In his official capacity and as his brother’s closest advisor, Kennedy increasingly involved himself in U.S. foreign policy, especially after the president decided that he could not entirely trust the counsel of the State Department, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), or the Pentagon.” (___) His willingness to heed to his brother’s uncertainty of United States would prove beneficial in the advice he would give. The attorney general even became the president's link to counterinsurgency efforts the

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