Ted Kennedy and the Chappaquiddick Accident

Ted Kennedy and the Chappaquiddick Accident Around midnight on the night of July 18-19, 1969, U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy had left a party and was driving his black Oldsmobile sedan when it went off a bridge and landed in Poucha Pond on Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts. Kennedy survived the accident but his passenger, 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne, did not. Kennedy fled the scene and did not report the accident for nearly ten hours. Although Ted Kennedy was subjected to a subsequent investigation and proceedings, he was not charged with causing Kopechne’s death; a point that many contend was a direct result of Kennedy-family connections. The Chappaquiddick incident remained a scar on Ted Kennedy’s reputation and thus prevented him from making a serious run at becoming president of the United States. Ted Kennedy Becomes a Senator Edward Moore Kennedy, better known as Ted, graduated from the University of Virginia Law School in 1959 and then followed in his older brother John’s footsteps when he was elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts in November 1962. By 1969, Ted Kennedy was married with three children and was lining himself up to become a presidential candidate, just like his older brothers John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy had done before him. The events on the night of July 18-19 would change those plans. The Party Begins It had been just over a year since the assassination of US Presidential candidate Robert Kennedy; so Ted Kennedy and his cousin, Joseph Gargan, planned a small reunion for a few, select individuals who had worked on RFK’s campaign. The get-together was scheduled for Friday and Saturday, July 18-19, 1969, on the island of Chappaquiddick (located just to the east of Martha’s Vineyard), coinciding with the area’s annual sailing regatta.  The small get-together was to be a cookout with barbecued steaks, hors-doeuvres, and drinks held at a rented house called Lawrence Cottage. Kennedy arrived around 1 pm on July 18 and then raced in the regatta with his boat Victoria until about 6 pm. After checking into his hotel, the Shiretown Inn in Edgartown (on the island of Martha’s Vineyard), Kennedy changed his clothes, crossed the channel that separated the two islands via a ferry, and arrived around 7:30 pm at the Cottage on Chappaquiddick. Most of the other guests arrived by 8:30 pm for the party. Among those at the party were a group of six young women known as the â€Å"boiler room girls,† as their desks had been located in the mechanical room of the campaign building. These young women had bonded during their experience on the campaign and looked forward to reuniting on Chappaquiddick. One of these young women was 28-year-old Mary Jo Kopechne. Kennedy and Kopechne Leave the Party Shortly after 11 pm, Kennedy announced his intentions to leave the party. His chauffeur, John Crimmins, was still finishing his dinner so, although it was extremely rare for Kennedy to drive himself, he asked Crimmins for the car keys, reportedly so he could leave on his own. Kennedy claimed that Kopechne asked him to give her a ride back to her hotel when he mentioned he was leaving. Ted Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne got into Kennedy’s car together; Kopechne told no one where she was going and left her pocketbook at the Cottage. The exact details of what happened next are largely unknown. After the incident, Kennedy stated that he thought he was heading toward the ferry; however, instead of turning left from the main road to head to the ferry, Kennedy had turned right, driving down the unpaved Dyke Road, which ended at a secluded beach. Along this road was the old Dyke Bridge, which did not contain a guardrail. Traveling approximately 20 miles per hour, Kennedy missed the slight turn to the left needed to make it safely onto and across the bridge. His 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont 88 went off the right side of the bridge and plunged into Poucha Pond, where it landed upside down in about eight to ten feet of water. Kennedy Flees the Scene Somehow, Kennedy was able to free himself from the vehicle and swim to shore, where he claimed that he called out for Kopechne. Per his description of events, Kennedy then made several attempts to reach her in the vehicle but soon exhausted himself. After resting, he walked back to the Cottage, where he asked for help from Joseph Gargan and Paul Markham. Gargan and Markham returned to the scene with Kennedy and made additional attempts to rescue Kopechne. When they were unsuccessful, they took Kennedy to the ferry landing and left him there, assuming he was going back to Edgartown to report the accident. Gargan and Markham returned to the party and did not contact the authorities because they believed Kennedy was about to do so. The Next Morning Later testimony by Ted Kennedy claims that instead of taking the ferry across the channel between the two islands (it had stopped working around midnight), he swam across. After eventually reaching the other side utterly exhausted, Kennedy walked to his hotel. He still did not report the accident. The next morning, around 8:00 am, Kennedy met Gargan and Markham at his hotel and told them that he hadn’t yet reported the accident because he â€Å"somehow believed that when the sun came up and it was a new morning that what had happened the night before would not have happened and did not happen.†* Even then, Kennedy did not go to the police. Instead, Kennedy returned to Chappaquiddick so that he could make a private phone call to an old friend, hoping to ask for advice. Only then did Kennedy take the ferry back to Edgartown and report the accident to the police, doing so just before 10 am (nearly ten hours after the accident). The police, however, already knew about the accident. Before Kennedy made his way to the police station, a fisherman had spotted the overturned car and contacted the authorities. At approximately 9 am, a diver brought Kopechne’s body to the surface. Kennedy’s Punishment and Speech One week after the accident, Kennedy pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident. He was sentenced to two months in prison; however, the prosecution agreed to suspend the sentence upon the defense attorney’s request based on Kennedy’s age and reputation for community service. That evening, July 25, 1969, Ted Kennedy delivered a brief speech that was televised nationally by several television networks. He began by sharing his reasons for being in Martha’s Vineyard and noted that the only reason his wife did not accompany him was due to health issues (she was in the midst of a difficult pregnancy at that time; she later miscarried). He went on to share that there was no reason to suspect himself and Kopechne of immoral conduct, as Kopechne (and the other â€Å"boiler room girls†) were all of impeccable character. Kennedy also stated that the events surrounding the accident were somewhat cloudy; however, he distinctly recalled making specific efforts to save Kopechne, both alone and with the assistance of Garghan and Markham. Still, Kennedy himself described his inaction of not calling for the police immediately as â€Å"indefensible.† After relaying his take on the sequence of events that occurred that night, Kennedy stated that he was considering resigning from the U.S. Senate. He hoped the people of Massachusetts would give him advice and help him decide. Kennedy ended the speech by quoting a passage from John F. Kennedy’s Profiles in Courage and then implored that he be able to move on and make further contributions to the well-being of society. Inquest and Grand Jury In January 1970, six months after the accident, an inquest into Mary Jo Kopechne’s death occurred, with Judge James A. Boyle presiding. The inquest was kept secret at the request of Kennedy’s lawyers. Boyle found Kennedy negligent of unsafe driving and could have provided support for a possible charge of manslaughter; however, the district attorney, Edmund Dinis, chose not to press charges. Findings from the inquest were released that spring. In April 1970, a grand jury was called to examine the events surrounding the night of July 18-19. The grand jury was advised by Dinis that there was not enough evidence to indict Kennedy on charges related to the incident. They did call four witnesses who had not testified previously; however, they ultimately decided not to indict Kennedy on any charges. After Effects of Chappaquiddick Aside from the tarnish on his reputation, the only immediate impact of this incident on Ted Kennedy was a temporary suspension of his driver’s license, ending in November 1970. This inconvenience would pale in comparison to the effects on his reputation. Kennedy, himself, noted shortly after the incident that he would not run for the Democratic nomination in the 1972 presidential election campaign as a result of the event. It is also believed by many historians to have prevented him from a run in 1976. In 1979, Kennedy began the motions towards challenging incumbent Jimmy Carter for the Democratic Party nomination. Carter selectively referenced the incident at Chappaquiddick and Kennedy ended up losing to him during the primary campaign. Senator Kennedy Despite a lack of momentum towards the office of president, Ted Kennedy was successfully reelected to the Senate seven more times. In 1970, one year after Chappaquiddick, Kennedy was reelected by winning 62% of the vote. Throughout his tenure, Kennedy was recognized as an advocate for the economically less fortunate, a supporter of civil rights, and a huge proponent of universal health care. He died in 2009 at the age of 77; his death the result of a malignant brain tumor. * Ted Kennedy as quoted in transcripts of the inquest on January 5, 1970 (p. 11)

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 195

Assignment Example Political Advertisements: Political advertisement is a way of the political party to connect to the voters to deliver their political messages. The advertisement is a part of campaigning strategy. It acts as a marketing tool for the party (Foster, 2010). Electoral College: Electoral College consists of group of electors or representatives of the state who elects the president. The significance of such system is that the system brings the cohesion of the country by ensuring that the elected president has distributed popular support and is not selected on the domination of one or two region support (Kimberling, 9-10). Political Ideology: Political ideology is the set of ideas and belief that a group of individual possess regarding the interpretation of social and economic environment around them. It is argued that the members of public are ideological in the sense that they hold logical, coherent, sophisticated attitude. The significance of ideology is the fact that it helps in rationalizing the way things are or whether there is any better option for improving the existing social order (Jost, et al, 307). Public Financed Elections: Public financing is the way of financing campaign where the public provides money and other resources to the favorite and qualified candidates to run their office and election campaign. The significance of public financing is that it reduces the dependence on private sector for funds which thereby reduces the distortions in governmental process and public financing also encourages the qualified candidates to come forward to take part in elections who earlier were prohibited in election campaigns due to lack of funds (Levin). Attentive Public: Attentive public is a small group which is more of a representative of general public and consists of best educated persons who are interested in current political trends and are politically involved. They

The Success of Rio Tintos Moves to India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Success of Rio Tintos Moves to India - Essay Example Tinto’s machines include Bulldozer, compact excavation machines, shredders, and grinders2. The mine raw materials from the mines are treated using fans. After treatment stage, decomposition and purification process follows immediately. The result of the two phases is a semi-solid product. This product is concentrated to a finished final product. The report summarizes the results of feasibility study in India. Rio Tinto proposes to use India as a distribution centre for its copper products. This company has taken this decision because of limited copper ores in India. Their plans are to extract and smelt copper using the sophisticated machinery from their company in Australia. They will then export copper products to enormous market in India. In this way, Rio Tinto will tap the untapped Indian market. They intend to take advantage of the large populace population in India. Rio is confident that India will not import copper product anymore from other countries. It expects a fair marketplace in India. Expansion of market to any region of this world is a challenge3. This is a guiding principle at the heart of the Rio Tinto management. Rio Tinto seeks important details on India’s technology level, the available workforce, and the type of infrastructure. Since India will serve as a distribution point, the company does not require a manufacturing plant. Rio Tinto is aware of possible market risk in the foreign nations. Technology is a very critical in the expansion of Rio Tinto’s. This is the reason why it has to do an in-depth research on market prospects in India. The report seeks to address many issues, which are central to the success of Rio Tinto’s moves to India. To start with, it will evaluate political environment in terms of India’s government stability. Next, it will discuss the legal framework with key interest in business law, labor laws, and taxation law. This is very crucial because the laws stipulate the procedures of e xport and import trade. The report will investigate both economic and socio-cultural environment. It will endeavor to assess tax policies, currency exchange rates, and inflation rates in India. Later it will survey the technological aspect of business environment and analyze external and internal factors, which affect Rio Tinto. This is the SWOT analysis. Finally, the report will give its recommendations to the Rio Tinto’s management on the feasibility of India as their market target4. 2.0 Political Environment 2.1. Government stability The India’s current government under Pratibha Patil has sound policies to promote direct foreign investments. The government embraces global trade links. They have a stable political system whereby they hold elections after every five years. Their rich democratic system receives acknowledgement globally. 2.2 Government and contribution Health investment policies attract a large pool of both domestic and foreign investors. The Foreign in vestment policy came into effect back in 1991. This policy has undergone through major reforms to suit the interest of investors. Currently the policy allows automatic and government-administered ways of investment5. The foreign investment policy is friendly enough to permits investor from outside to collaborate with either local or their foreign counterparts. 2.3 Analysis Indian government shows political will.

Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Kiss of the Spider Woman by Manuel Puig - Essay Example As a diversion from physical pain, the seduction from Molina's German movie provided them with considerable comfort, although it was implied that Molina's line "what about my movie It might help you forget the pain." regarded the entirety of the German movie and not merely its element of seduction. (Puig, 53) The seduction worked in the guise of a German movie being retold by Molina who happened to be a romantic escapist. It was clear in the play that Molina worked the exaggerated details of the heroine to fit his fantasies being that he identified with her thus he projected unto her the endowments that he wanted for himself. purpose of heightening the emotion of the film, it began to make sense, as the element of seduction did in a way overpower the propaganda being presented in the film because through the narration of Molina, the political issues on the Nazi and the Resistance dimmed in contrast to the love story and its morality about love and sacrifice. However, it was through Molina's fantastic escapism that Puig employed most his power of seduction as it was implied that escapism appears to be a more pain-free resort compared to political activism which stakes more sacrificed for so little change. As it can be seen how the events turned out, the characters met their ends when they pursued the path of political involvement as a way out of their prison cell.

Prejudice and Racism: All Men are Equal, Unless They Are Black Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brian is a young African American male who has been pulled over by the police somewhere between twenty and thirty times and accused of committing a crime. The only problem is, he's never so much as jaywalked across a street. Brian is a hardworking, church-going man who is director of lighting at Black Entertainment Television in Washington, D.C. He has a spotless record. That matters little to the D.C. police. Time after time, the cops would pull Brian over to interrogate him for a recent murder, robbery, or assault. He would be yanked out of his car, thrown to the ground, and held until one of them figured out he was the wrong guy. -"Brian Anthony Harris is Not Wanted", by Michael Moore In his 1963 document, "Letter From Birmingham Jail", Martin Luther King Jr. prayed "in some not too distant tomorrow the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty." To date, his prayers remain unanswered, and the radiant stars he dreamed of seem more remote and dim than ever. It seems impossible, in the wake of the Civil Rights movement of the Sixties, America would not take heed and make strides to erase the lines of inequality dividing its population. It hasn't. Superficial changes in race relations, like the halfhearted integration of schools, the ever-lessening concessions to affirmative action, and the few token minority Court and Cabinet appointments notwithstanding, the status-quo of American life illustrates the continuing failure of King's dream. In the 37 years since Martin Luther King Jr. sat in an Alabama jail cell, more black men have gone to jail than to college, and the black voice in America's democracy has quieted to a whisper. Black Americans are not m... ...anna Huffington. 10/01/00. http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2000/10/02/disenfranchised/index.html "Back to the Civil Rights Barricades", by Todd Gitlin. 12/04/00. http://www.salon.com/politics/feature/2000/12/04/democracy/index.html Justice Policy Institute/ Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice. Beatty, Holman, and Schiraldi, 2000 Poor Prescription: The Costs of Imprisoning Drug Offenders in the United States. Washington DC: The Justice Policy Institute. Accessed 5/20/01. http://www.cjcj.org/drug/drugpr.html "America's One Million Non-Violent Prisoners", by V. Schiraldi, J. Ziedenberg, and J Irwin, PhD.1999. Accessed 5/21/01. http://www.cjcj.org/jpi/onemillion.html United States Department of Justice. Prison and Jail Inmates at Midyear 1999. Allen J. Beck, Ph.D. Apr, 2000, Accessed 5/20/01. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pubalp2.htm#pjmidyear

The Pueblo Revolt of 1680

Running head: PUEBLO REVOLT The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 Kelley Christy Grand Canyon University HIS 103 May 17, 2009 The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 The English and Spanish strategies at colonization in the late 1600’s were very different, resulting in very different outcomes. The English methods of displacement and extermination of the native populations led to wholesale destruction of the cultures targeted. On the other hand, the Spanish attempted to peacefully associate with the local populations. This lead to the creation of a hybrid culture of Spanish and Indian peoples. The birth of this new culture demonstrated the success the Spaniards had in the waning days of the century (Otermin, 2007). The Spaniards used the idea of converting the native populations to Christianity and forcing their values to match their own (Otermin, 2007). Eighty years after the establishment of the first colony in the Rio Grande Valley by Juan de Onate in 1598, Spanish missionaries had built thirty missions as well as thirty religious stations. The Pueblo tribes and the Spanish colonists coexisted but not without conflict. Thousands of Pueblos were converted to Christianity. The converts adopted the rituals of the Christians, such as the Christian form of marriage and baptism. They also practiced the Christian burial rituals. However, these converts also observed their native religious rituals. This straddling of both religions angered the Franciscan missionaries. This anger drove the Franciscans to destroy religious objects and shrines of the natives, and punish Indian ceremonial leaders (Otermin, 2007). In addition, the Spanish forced the natives to provide slave labor to build churches, as well as work in mines and farms for the encomenderos. These encomenderos were Spanish colonists whose role was to protect the local natives from hostile Indian tribes. Late in the seventeenth century, diseases imported by the Spaniards such as smallpox and measles, began to decimate the Indian population. Natural disasters such as crop failures and major droughts added to the misery of the natives. Attacks by the hostile Navajo and Apache tribes aggravated the strained relationship between the Spanish colonists and the Pueblos (Otermin, 2007). In 1670, a missionary claimed he was bewitched by a Pueblo community. Several Indians were executed and several more were beaten for this offense. From this, the seeds of revolt were planted. Ten years later, Pope, one of the beaten natives rose to lead a massive revolt. Pope’s united forces sought to drive all traces of Spanish influence from their lands. The Pueblo Revolt of 1680 was successful in ridding the Pueblos of the Spaniards for a decade. Pope’s efforts united the Pueblos against an oppressive Spaniard regime and gained their people a few more years of independence. Reference Otermin, D. A. Mexican American Voices: Resistance and accommodation in New Mexico. (2007). Digital History. Retrieved May 14, 2009, from: www. digitalhistory. uh. edu/mexican_voices/voices_display. cfm? id=24

The Tempest By William Shakespeare And Directed By Francis...

On Saturday, October 31st,, I went to see a play entitled The Tempest, written by William Shakespeare and directed by Francis Marion’s very own, Glen Gourley. The play was performed by students of the Francis Marion community, along with a few guest artists. The Tempest was a well-rounded play that attracted the audience attention right away with a dramatic opening, and gave the audience one heck of a ride throughout. The fact that it was Halloween night might have been a reason for me to enjoy the stage effects and costumes a little more than usual. The actors did a compelling job portraying the characters, and memorizing such difficult lines. Characters such as Ariel, Miranda and Caliban were my favorites of the night to watch evolve on stage. The play at first was very difficult to understand as the Shakespearian language was a challenge barrier, because at this day in age who really understands when someone uses thou, thus, or thy with every other word. The acting, scenery , lighting effects, costumes and among other things really helped make the play, and give the audience a better prospective or feel for the theme or purpose of The Tempest. The acting was phenomenal, as everyone brought their characters to life. Each actor owned their lines using great vocal skills, body language and facial expressions. The acting in The Tempest was very believable because the dictions and body language flowed with every movement and every encounter with each character within the