"On the Mindless Menace of Violence" was a speech given by United States Senator and presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy. He delivered it at the Sheraton-Cleveland Hotel on April 5, 1968, in the wake of riots and chaos following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., an African- American civil rights leader. Speechwriters worked early into the morning on a full response to the assassination. After revising the draft, Kennedy spoke for only 10 minutes in front of 2,200 people at the City Club of Cleveland, outlining his views on violence in American society. He faulted both the rioters and the white establishment who, from his perspective, were responsible for the deterioration of social conditions in the United States. He proposed no specific solutions, but admonished the audience to seek common ground and cooperation. Journalist Jack Newfield framed the address as a suitable epitaph for the senator, who was himself assassinated two months later.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_the_Mindless_Menace_of_Violence> _______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries: 1081: The Komnenian dynasty came to full power when Alexios I Komnenos was crowned Byzantine Emperor. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexios_I_Komnenos> 1710: The Statute of Anne, the first fully fledged law regulating copyright, received royal assent and went into effect five days later in Great Britain. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statute_of_Anne> 1936: Tupelo–Gainesville tornado outbreak: An F5 tornado hit Tupelo, Mississippi, U.S., killing at least 216 people. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1936_Tupelo%E2%80%93Gainesville_tornado_outbreak> 1986: The Libyan secret service bombed a discotheque in West Berlin, killing 3 people and injuring 229 others. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_West_Berlin_discotheque_bombing> 1998: Japan's Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, linking Awaji Island and Kobe, opened to traffic, becoming the longest suspension bridge in the world to date with a main span length of 1,991 metres (6,532 ft). <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akashi_Kaiky%C5%8D_Bridge> _____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day: eucatastrophe: (literature) A catastrophe (dramatic event leading to plot resolution) that results in the protagonist's well-being. <https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/eucatastrophe> ___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day: Men may make laws to hinder and fetter the ballot, but men cannot make laws that will bind or retard the growth of manhood … progress is the law of nature; under God it shall be our eternal guiding star. --Booker T. Washington <https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Booker_T._Washington> _______________________________________________ Wikipedia Daily Article mailing list. To unsubscribe, visit: https://lists.wikimedia.org/mailman/listinfo/daily-article-l Questions or comments? Contact dal-feedb...@wikimedia.org
