Routledge Robert F. Kennedy in the Stream of History: In the Stream of History

This assessment of the statesmanship, principles, and policies of Robert F. Kennedy places him "in the stream of history," to assess what came before his time in political life, what happened during that time, and what happened to his legacy after his assassination. Terrence Edward Paupp evaluates the themes and issues RFK confronted, responded to, and for which he provided visionary solutions. Paupp first chronicles the influence of Franklin D. Roosevelt's legacy as a prologue to the New Frontier and Great Society. During Robert F. Kennedy's time in power―both in his brother's administration and on his own in the US Senate―he struggled with striking a balance between power and purpose. In the years after John F. Kennedy's assassination, RFK emphasized the need to unite power and purpose, national and international concerns, ideals and practice. Much of this has been ignored, Paupp argues, by what C. Wright Mills called "the power elite." In assessing RFK's statesmanship, Paupp examines his commitments to human and civil rights, which linked themes and ideals within the US to those struggles taking place outside the country. Robert F. Kennedy brought zeal and passion to these problems by discussing the moral necessity of honouring human dignity while articulating practical solutions, policies, and programs to structural injustice. His legacy remains a beacon of light, intelligence, and hope in today's world. Review -[A] useful guidebook on the ideas RFK articulated about the direction the nation (and the world) should take and how these ideas dovetail with the policy debates that have followed in the decades since his untimely murder. . . . In our current era of market fundamentalism, pay-to-play politics, and the relentless push by powerful elements of our society to privatize everything from prisons to schools, Paupp's reexamination of Robert Kennedy's legacy in light of our contemporary problems is a welcome study that not only adds to our understanding but perhaps even points the way forward.- --Joseph A. Palermo, The Historian -Robert F. Kennedy in the Stream of History isn't just a biography, but blends in history and analysis to provide college-level readers, especially those in political science, with an overall reviews of the thought and work of Robert Kennedy. From what could have happened if the Kennedys had lived beyond the 1960s to how leadership is developed and how Bobby Kennedy pursued social goals beyond his times, this provides a wider-ranging survey than simple biography alone could have achieved; yet is firmly grounded in Kennedy's life as well as his times. Biography and political readers alike will want this!- --Internet Bookwatch -Terrence Paupp carefully, masterfully weaves together biography and historical and contemporary analysis. Paupp's well-researched study, an exploration of the thought and work of Robert Francis Kennedy, begs many important questions. One crucial question has to do with what might have been. Would we have seen the fulfillment of the Kerner Commission's 'two societies' warning if the Kennedys (and even Martin Luther King, Jr.) had survived beyond the 1960s? A 'leadership void' developed with the demise of leaders like RFK, and Paupp writes about this problem with an edge, indeed, with indignation. This is an important book, but it will not leave the Establishment in this country feeling secure about where America finds herself since the time Bobby Kennedy pondered the kind of country and global society that we have yet to bring into being.- --Gregory Hall, Morehouse College -Author Terrence Paupp has produced a noble and notable effort to revive the Kennedy legacy when it is urgently needed. More than anyone in recent American history, Bobby Kennedy epitomized our better angels by his own journey from Cold War Warrior to passionate advocate for peace, justice, and liberation. It reminds us about the political vistas that were once present, an