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Robert F. Kennedy 1968 presidential campaign - Quiz
Contributed by: Collins
  • 1. When did Robert F. Kennedy officially begin his 1968 presidential campaign?
A) April 27, 1968
B) March 31, 1968
C) March 16, 1968
D) January 30, 1968
  • 2. Which U.S. President did Kennedy initially challenge for the Democratic nomination?
A) Harry Truman
B) John F. Kennedy
C) Richard Nixon
D) Lyndon B. Johnson
  • 3. On what date did President Lyndon B. Johnson announce he would not seek re-election?
A) March 16, 1968
B) June 4, 1968
C) April 27, 1968
D) March 31, 1968
  • 4. Who was the Vice President that entered the race after Johnson's withdrawal?
A) Hubert Humphrey
B) Ted Kennedy
C) George McGovern
D) Eugene McCarthy
  • 5. Where was Robert F. Kennedy assassinated?
A) Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles
B) Kansas State University
C) Russell Senate Office Building
D) Good Samaritan Hospital
  • 6. On what date did Robert F. Kennedy pass away?
A) November 22, 1963
B) June 4, 1968
C) June 6, 1968
D) March 16, 1968
  • 7. Who served as U.S. Attorney General for several months following John F. Kennedy's assassination?
A) Lyndon B. Johnson
B) Robert F. Kennedy
C) Eugene McCarthy
D) Hubert Humphrey
  • 8. Which political office did Kennedy run for in 1964 as a potential launching pad for the presidency?
A) Vice President of the United States
B) Mayor of New York City
C) U.S. Senator from New York
D) Governor of Massachusetts
  • 9. Which family member was the leading voice against Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential bid?
A) John F. Kennedy
B) Ethel Kennedy
C) Ted Kennedy
D) Joe Biden
  • 10. Who was the first person to announce a primary challenge against Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968?
A) George McGovern
B) Hubert Humphrey
C) Eugene McCarthy
D) Robert F. Kennedy
  • 11. Which city mayor told President Johnson about Kennedy's intention to run in January 1968?
A) Richard J. Daley
B) George McGovern
C) Hubert Humphrey
D) Robert F. Kennedy
  • 12. What report issued on February 29, 1968, focused on racial unrest in American cities?
A) The Johnson Administration report
B) The Watts Commission report
C) The Kerner Commission report
D) The Senate Foreign Relations report
  • 13. Whom did Robert F. Kennedy meet with in Delano, California, on March 10, 1968?
A) Pete Hamill
B) Arthur Schlesinger Jr.
C) Richard J. Daley
D) César Chávez
  • 14. Where did Kennedy officially announce his candidacy on March 16, 1968?
A) The National Press Club
B) Caucus Room of the Russell Senate Office Building
C) The Ambassador Hotel
D) Kansas State University
  • 15. What was the name of the lecture Kennedy delivered at Kansas State University?
A) Landon Lecture
B) Vietnam Policy Lecture
C) Civil Rights Lecture
D) Senate Lecture
  • 16. What 1960 candidate successfully used the strategy of winning through popular support in primary elections?
A) Robert F. Kennedy
B) Lyndon B. Johnson
C) Hubert Humphrey
D) John F. Kennedy
  • 17. In which state did Eugene McCarthy poll 42 percent of the vote against Johnson in 1968?
A) Kansas
B) Indiana
C) New Hampshire
D) California
  • 18. Who was the Republican incumbent that Robert F. Kennedy defeated for the U.S. Senate in 1964?
A) Alfred Landon
B) Kenneth Keating
C) Lyndon B. Johnson
D) Richard Nixon
  • 19. What was a core element of Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 campaign strategy?
A) Strict isolationism
B) Traditional party endorsement
C) Youth engagement
D) Focus on tax cuts
  • 20. How did Arthur Schlesinger describe the reaction to Kennedy's campaign?
A) Complete indifference
B) Skeptical but hopeful
C) Universal support
D) Wild enthusiasm and deep anger
  • 21. Why did the business community oppose Kennedy's candidacy?
A) He supported deregulation
B) He favored monopolies
C) He planned to ban corporations
D) He was viewed as a fiscal liability
  • 22. What was Kennedy's stance on the Vietnam War?
A) He did not support an immediate withdrawal
B) He called for immediate escalation
C) He wanted to dissolve the South Vietnamese military
D) He wanted an immediate withdrawal
  • 23. What did Kennedy propose to reduce housing and employment problems?
A) Increased government cooperation with private enterprise
B) Lowering the minimum wage
C) Eliminating all private businesses
D) Complete state ownership of industry
  • 24. What group did Kennedy believe welfare spending should better support?
A) Foreign corporations
B) Farmers
C) Factory owners
D) Retired politicians
  • 25. What was Kennedy's position on the death penalty in 1968?
A) He was willing to support its abolition
B) He remained neutral
C) He wanted to expand its use
D) He wanted to make it mandatory for all violent crimes
  • 26. How did Kennedy suggest countering rising crime rates?
A) Through immediate deportations
B) Through increased surveillance
C) Through stricter military enforcement
D) Through job and educational opportunities
  • 27. Which groups opposed Kennedy's 1968 candidacy?
A) Southern Democrats, organized labor, and the business community
B) University students and intellectuals
C) The farmers and the middle class
D) The youth and the inner-city residents
  • 28. When asked how to fund new programs at Indiana University Medical School, who did Kennedy say would pay?
A) Small business owners
B) The federal government
C) The medical students
D) Foreign allies
  • 29. What was Kennedy's specific plan to end the Vietnam conflict?
A) Surrendering to North Vietnam
B) Immediate nuclear deterrence
C) Launching a full-scale invasion of North Vietnam
D) Strengthening the South Vietnamese military and reducing corruption
  • 30. According to the text, who did Kennedy believe should be prevented from purchasing firearms?
A) Only law enforcement officers
B) Only the elderly
C) Criminals, those with mental health issues, and minors
D) Only those with a criminal record
  • 31. In the fall of 1965, what percentage of respondents in a Gallup poll believed RFK wanted to become president?
A) 72%
B) 40%
C) 56%
D) 65%
  • 32. According to the August 1966 polls, by how much was RFK favored over President Johnson among independents?
A) 14%
B) 2%
C) 20%
D) 10%
  • 33. In the late March Gallup poll released just before his entry into the primary, what percentage did Kennedy receive compared to Johnson's 41%?
A) 47%
B) 44%
C) 38%
D) 41%
  • 34. What was Kennedy's lead over McCarthy in the early April Indiana primary poll?
A) 15 points
B) 26 points
C) 30 points
D) 19 points
  • 35. Which survey showed Kennedy with a three-to-one lead over McCarthy and Roger D. Branigin in Indiana?
A) Associated Press poll
B) Gallup poll
C) Oliver Quayle survey
D) Harris poll
  • 36. In the April 28 Gallup poll, how many points was Hubert Humphrey behind Kennedy?
A) 8 points
B) 5 points
C) 3 points
D) 1 point
  • 37. In the June 2 Gallup poll, what percentage of support did Kennedy have among Democratic county chairmen?
A) 67%
B) 6%
C) 19%
D) 35%
  • 38. In the June 3 poll, by how many points was Kennedy leading McCarthy in the California primary?
A) 6 points
B) 9 points
C) 3 points
D) 12 points
  • 39. On what date did Vice President Hubert Humphrey announce his candidacy?
A) April 27
B) April 2
C) April 30
D) April 23
  • 40. In the Massachusetts primary, what percentage of the total vote did Humphrey receive as a write-in candidate?
A) 6%
B) 35%
C) 28%
D) 18%
  • 41. How many write-in votes did Hubert Humphrey receive in the Massachusetts primary?
A) 56,000
B) 44,156
C) 19,000
D) 28,000
  • 42. Who was the 'favorite son candidate' in the Indiana primary?
A) Eugene McCarthy
B) John Bartlow Martin
C) Martin Luther King Jr.
D) Roger D. Branigin
  • 43. How many people were killed in riots across the country following King's assassination?
A) 43
B) 10
C) 3,000
D) 100
  • 44. Which city did not experience riots after King's death, despite Kennedy's visit to an African American neighborhood there?
A) Memphis
B) Cleveland
C) Indianapolis
D) Atlanta
  • 45. What strategy did Kennedy use to appeal to Indiana's more-conservative voters?
A) Increased his attacks on the federal government
B) Avoided talking about the Vietnam War entirely
C) Focused only on law enforcement
D) Toned down his rhetoric
  • 46. Where did Kennedy deliver a speech suggesting the 1968 election would determine the United States' direction?
A) The City Club of Cleveland
B) The Indianapolis real estate board
C) Ball State University
D) University of Notre Dame
  • 47. What percentage of the vote did Robert F. Kennedy receive in the Washington, D.C. primary?
A) 62.5 percent
B) 51.4 percent
C) 81 percent
D) 37.5 percent
  • 48. What percentage of the vote did Humphrey receive in the Washington, D.C. primary?
A) 31 percent
B) 37.5 percent
C) 51.4 percent
D) 62.5 percent
  • 49. What portion of Washington, D.C.'s 810,000 residents were African American in 1968?
A) Two-thirds
B) Three-quarters
C) One-half
D) One-third
  • 50. Which newspaper reported that the Washington, D.C. primary was only 'mildly interesting'?
A) The New York Times
B) The Nebraska Gazette
C) The Chicago Tribune
D) The Washington Post
  • 51. How many visits did McCarthy make to Nebraska during the campaign?
A) Two
B) Five
C) One
D) None
  • 52. What was the result of the Nebraska primary for Kennedy?
A) 37.5 percent
B) 31 percent
C) 62.5 percent
D) 51.4 percent
  • 53. How many counties did Kennedy visit ahead of the Nebraska vote?
A) 810
B) 25
C) 24
D) 31
  • 54. How many counties did Kennedy win in Nebraska out of the ones he visited?
A) 1
B) 25
C) 24
D) 10
  • 55. By how many votes did Kennedy lose the county housing the University of Nebraska?
A) Five votes
B) Thirty-one votes
C) Two votes
D) One vote
  • 56. What did Kennedy call the combined vote total of himself and McCarthy in Nebraska?
A) A mild test of popularity
B) A narrow victory
C) A significant setback
D) A smashing repudiation
  • 57. What was the combined vote percentage of Kennedy and McCarthy in Nebraska?
A) Over 80 percent
B) 62.5 percent
C) 51.4 percent
D) 31 percent
  • 58. Which state's primary did Kennedy hope to gain momentum for by winning Nebraska?
A) Indiana
B) Washington, D.C.
C) New York
D) California
  • 59. Who ran Robert F. Kennedy's campaign organization in Oregon?
A) Hubert Humphrey
B) Edith Green
C) Dary G. Richardson
D) Eugene McCarthy
  • 60. What voting record of McCarthy's did Kennedy's campaign highlight in Oregon?
A) Voting against a minimum wage law
B) Voting against federal school funding
C) Voting against the Vietnam War
D) Voting against environmental protection laws
  • 61. Where did Kennedy make an appeal for federal gun control legislation on May 27?
A) Sioux Falls, South Dakota
B) Los Angeles, California
C) Roseburg, Oregon
D) San Francisco, California
  • 62. What was the result of the televised debate between Kennedy and McCarthy on June 1?
A) McCarthy dominated the discussion
B) Observers considered it a draw
C) It was cancelled due to technical issues
D) Kennedy won decisively
  • 63. What caused the panic among Kennedy's entourage in San Francisco's Chinatown?
A) Actual gunshots
B) Celebratory firecrackers
C) A car accident
D) A protestor shouting
  • 64. Who referred to Kennedy's California victory as his "greatest"?
A) Bill Eppridge
B) Dary G. Richardson
C) Edith Green
D) Joseph Palermo
  • 65. How many total delegates did Kennedy have after the June 4 primaries?
A) 561
B) 460
C) 447
D) 393
  • 66. Who was the person responsible for shooting Robert F. Kennedy?
A) Lee Harvey Oswald
B) Arthur Bremer
C) Sirhan Sirhan
D) James Earl Ray
  • 67. What type of weapon was used to shoot Robert F. Kennedy?
A) Rifle
B) Shotgun
C) .38 caliber pistol
D) .22 caliber revolver
  • 68. Where was Robert F. Kennedy's body laid to rest?
A) The Ambassador Hotel
B) Central Receiving Hospital
C) Arlington National Cemetery
D) St. Patrick's Cathedral
  • 69. Where did Robert F. Kennedy lie in repose before his funeral mass?
A) The U.S. Capitol
B) St. Patrick's Cathedral
C) The White House
D) Union Station
  • 70. What was the nationality of Sirhan Sirhan according to the text?
A) Egyptian
B) American
C) Lebanese
D) Palestinian-born Jordanian
  • 71. Which author did Edward Kennedy paraphrase in his eulogy?
A) Mark Twain
B) Robert Frost
C) William Shakespeare
D) George Bernard Shaw
  • 72. Which hospital was Kennedy transferred to before his death?
A) St. Patrick's Hospital
B) Arlington Hospital
C) The Good Samaritan Hospital
D) Ambassador Medical Center
  • 73. What percentage of the black vote did Robert F. Kennedy secure in the Indiana primary?
A) 90%
B) 40%
C) 94%
D) 86%
  • 74. Which journalist noted that Kennedy's speech on the King assassination helped Indianapolis avoid riots?
A) Samuel Lubell
B) Larry Tye
C) Will Higgins
D) Michael A. Cohen
  • 75. What percentage of black respondents agreed that Robert F. Kennedy shared the qualities of his late brother in a late May poll?
A) 86%
B) 40%
C) 94%
D) 90%
  • 76. Where did Kennedy hold a midnight session with Black Panthers days before the California primary?
A) Los Angeles
B) Indianapolis
C) Omaha
D) Oakland
  • 77. What percentage of the black vote did Kennedy win in the California primary?
A) 90%
B) 94%
C) 86%
D) 40%
  • 78. Who described Robert F. Kennedy as 'the most trusted white man in black America' at the time of his death?
A) Michael A. Cohen
B) Will Higgins
C) Larry Tye
D) Samuel Lubell
  • 79. Which group of voters provided Kennedy with broad support during his 1968 campaign?
A) College professors in the Northeast
B) Blue-collar white voters
C) Wealthy corporate executives
D) Rural agricultural business owners
  • 80. Where did Samuel Lubell note that Kennedy carried support among low-income white workers?
A) East Omaha
B) North Philadelphia
C) West Detroit
D) South Chicago
  • 81. Which strike did Kennedy support to endear himself to farmworkers?
A) Delano grape strike
B) Central Valley fruit strike
C) California lettuce boycott
D) Western agricultural worker walkout
  • 82. Who told students in California that Kennedy was the candidate for farmworkers?
A) Cesar Chavez
B) Marshall Ganz
C) Robert F. Kennedy
D) Samuel Lubell
  • 83. Who arranged for Kennedy to speak to farmworkers after his California primary victory?
A) Cesar Chavez
B) Schmitt
C) Marshall Ganz
D) Roger A. Bruns
  • 84. What percentage of voting Hispanics in the California primary supported Kennedy?
A) 75%
B) 100%
C) 50%
D) 95%
  • 85. How did Roger A. Bruns describe the death of Robert Kennedy in relation to the farmworker community?
A) A minor setback for the UFW
B) An inevitable political disaster
C) A turning point for political reform
D) A profoundly tragic loss
  • 86. What did Kennedy say upon hearing that Johnson was withdrawing?
A) This is a great victory
B) Finally, the war will end
C) The joy is premature
D) I have won the nomination
  • 87. What did Ted Kennedy want McCarthy to do in exchange for Robert Kennedy staying out of the race?
A) Endorse Robert Kennedy
B) Withdraw from the New Hampshire primary
C) Speak out on domestic problems
D) Join the Kennedy campaign staff
  • 88. What was Hubert Humphrey's official position when Kennedy entered the race?
A) Senator from Minnesota
B) Attorney General
C) Vice President
D) Mayor of Chicago
  • 89. Where was Kennedy when Humphrey entered the presidential race?
A) California
B) Chicago
C) Nebraska
D) Indiana
  • 90. How did Kennedy perform in polls against Nixon during the latter part of 1967?
A) Kennedy led by a significant margin.
B) Nixon led by a significant margin.
C) They were tied.
D) They were both polling lower than Lyndon Johnson.
  • 91. Who did Nixon tell his family he would likely be facing in the general election after the California primary?
A) Lyndon Johnson
B) Hubert Humphrey
C) Bobby
D) Eugene McCarthy
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