Why Should I Read American Values? | Summary, Background, and Personal Thoughts
The Basic Bio
American Values: Lessons I Learned from My Family is a book that recounts Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s personal memories of his family. While not just a personal account, it doubles as a political history of the 1960s.
The book takes the reader on a personal journey through the immigration of the Kennedys to America, the ascent of Joseph Kennedy, the election of JFK to the Senate and then the Presidency, the emergence of RFK and the hope he provided, and finally RFK’s death and the aftermath.
Story Chapters
A Summary of American Values: Lessons I Learned From My Family
Starting with the origin of the Kennedy family in Ireland, American Values begins by telling the story of how the Kennedys immigrated from Ireland after the Irish Potato Famine. The first chapter details how Joseph Kennedy went from being the son of a dockworker turned local politician to being the US Ambassador to Great Britain.
He eventually married Rose Kennedy, the daughter of a rival Boston politician, John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald. Joseph's future son and president, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, was named in Honey Fitz's honor.
Together, he and his wife, Rose, had nine children. Two of these kids were John F. Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. After detailing his father’s more formal side of the family, RFK Jr. writes about his mother’s wild, unrestrained family, the Skakels.
From the very beginning, RFK Jr. features the Kennedy family’s Catholic faith. As the book continues through JFK’s senate run and his election to the presidency, the Kennedys and their Catholic faith are intertwined. He also writes about the chaotic environment of his family home, with his 10 brothers and sisters and his slightly unrestrained mother at the helm.
In his chapter on the JFK presidency, RFK Jr. tells the story of how JFK and RFK stood alone during the Cuban Missile Crisis, as well as in other crises. RFK Jr. hints strongly in the book that some of America's top leaders hated the Kennedy's guts because of this. Top military leaders believed war was inevitable, and tried to pressure the Kennedys into launching an all-out strike on the Soviet Union.
Against the opinion of America’s top military leaders, the brothers were determined not to start a nuclear war by bombing Cuba. And in the end, they prevailed, and nuclear war with the Soviet Union was avoided.
RFK Jr. continues with the JFK assassination and the devastation it brought to America, but also the Kennedy family. Robert F. Kennedy felt dread for some time after his brother’s death. But when he emerged from the despair, he came back driven to put an end to injustice.
His journey began with a Senate campaign in the neighboring state of New York. Then RFK took trips to the poorest black communities of Mississippi and the impoverished communities of Appalachia. He traveled to the other side of the country to meet with Cesar Chavez, and he even traveled to Poland and met the future Pope John Paul II.
RFK’s crusade for the marginalized culminated in his decision to run for president in 1968. Despite his popularity, he still had to fight hard for the Democratic nomination. After fighting hard to win the votes of several states, he was faced with winning the state of California.
The biggest and most diverse state, California, proved to be a big battleground for RFK. But he won the state. His support for the marginalized moved everyone, from Mexican farmers to African Americans in the ghetto, to come out and vote for him. After intensely watching the results come in, he gave a victory speech. As he was walking back to his room through the kitchen, he was shot and died hours later.
The final chapters of American Values focus on the aftermath of the assassination and the influential people who filled the gap left by RFK Jr.’s father. Lem Billings, a close family friend, became RFK Jr.’s father figure. After years of a rocky relationship with his mother, Ethel Kennedy, RFK Jr. ends American Values by describing the long road to reconciliation with his mother.
The Tumultuous 1960s: The Background of American Values
The 1960s were probably the most volatile decade the United States has ever had. The nine years between 1960 and 1969 were filled with violence and progress, old wounds and new horizons.
American Values shows the Kennedy side of the 1960s. It shows how the family fought hard to win JFK’s 1960 Presidential election. Soon, it shows what took place in the Kennedy White House behind closed doors during the uncertain Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Checkpoint Charlie Incident, and eventually The Cuban Missile Crisis. Then the book takes a sudden turn when it begins to lead up to JFK’s trip to Dallas.
American Values continues to tell the story of the 1960s as it describes RFK’s grave sadness after JFK’s assassination. RFK Jr. tells how his father began to grow back and how it pained him to see suffering of any kind. The pain of seeing suffering led RFK to run for the Senate, journey to the poorest parts of Mississippi and Kentucky, and eventually run for President.
Why The US Got Involved In Vietnam
JFK had begun US involvement in Vietnam by sending advisors but had planned to begin pulling out again after winning the 1964 Presidential Election. But he was assassinated in November 1963, and the withdrawal never happened. Instead, Lyndon B. Johnson significantly escalated the conflict after the Gulf of Tonkin Incident.
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident occurred on August 2 and 4. Small North Vietnamese boats attacked US ships in the Tonkin Gulf as the US was patrolling the North Vietnamese coast. In response to the two clashes with North Vietnamese boats, LBJ pushed the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution through Congress. The resolution essentially gave LBJ the ability to send US troops to Vietnam.
He escalated the Vietnam War significantly, and soon thousands of American soldiers were dead. RFK was against continuing the war, and he threw his hat in the ring for the Presidency to stop the death and suffering in Vietnam.
5 Key Takeaways from American Values: Lessons I Learned From My Family
1. We Must Keep The Peace, Especially When We Don’t Know What’s Happening
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Kennedy brothers stood up to the pressure of top military leaders to start a war. Instead, despite not having all the information and not knowing whether the Soviet Union was gearing up for war, JFK decided to keep calm and not make any rash moves.
Rather than strike first and start a nuclear war, JFK decided to blockade Cuba. Although it heightened tensions, it was a better alternative than starting a war that could destroy humanity, and in the end, it worked. The world stepped back from the brink of nuclear war, and it was thanks to the Kennedys’ rational, peace-driven leadership.
2. Doing What’s Right Will Make Enemies
RFK Jr. writes about the long list of enemies the Kennedys made because of their pursuit of peace. They made enemies of top military leaders, J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI, the CIA, and the Mafia, because they wanted to make peace with the Soviet Union, Cuba, and other communist countries. These people wanted war, and the Kennedys stood in the way.
The Kennedys stood for peace. They wanted to avoid war by reopening channels with the Soviet Union and Cuba. The threat of nuclear war loomed over the heads of Americans, and the Kennedys were determined to stop it from happening by making peace. And unfortunately, they made enemies because of it.
3. Family Matters
Family is at the center of American Values. At its heart, it’s the story of the Kennedy family. It shows how they dealt with the struggles of not just the 1960s but the struggles of a family at the center of the political world.
The Kennedys dealt with the early, tragic deaths of Joseph Kennedy Jr. and Kick Kennedy, as well as the assassinations of JFK and RFK. In the last chapter of the book, RFK Jr. details the process of repairing his relationship with his mother, Ethel. American Values is a book about the strength of a united family and what a united family can accomplish.
4. Don’t Ignore The Marginalized
There are people suffering every day, but we ignore them. RFK traveled to the Mississippi River Delta and the mountains of Eastern Kentucky to visit the poorest people in America. He saw their suffering and gave them hope because of it.
RFK marched alongside Cesar Chavez in his protest against farmers mistreating Mexican farmhands. He took up their struggle, and later on, they helped him win the nomination vote in California, although many of them typically didn’t vote. RFK inspired hope by really trying to understand the suffering of others, especially those who were often ignored.
5. Devote Your Life To A Higher Cause
The Kennedys believed they were called to serve the people around them. Joseph P. Kennedy raised his kids with the skills necessary to lead. In response, the Kennedy family devoted themselves to making a difference by serving in public office.
Through JFK’s presidency, RFK and Teddy’s terms in the Senate, and the Kennedy sisters’ involvement in the Peace Corps and Special Olympics, the Kennedys changed the world. Instead of dedicating their careers to making money and living rich, they devoted themselves to serving those in need of help, and today, they’re beloved by many because of it.
Personal Thoughts
Before reading this book, I had really only heard of JFK and how he was assassinated. But after reading American Values, I’ve come to learn the real impact the Kennedys had on America and why they’re so beloved by many.
Through American Values, I’ve realized the need to reach out to the marginalized in our community and the need to serve others. It’s a book that places faith and family at the center of service and leadership.
So to me, it’s definitely worth the read if you want to see behind the closed doors of the 1960s. It shows the closed doors of both important meetings in Washington and the private lives of the Kennedys. It shows the impact of a strong faith and a strong family. It shows how peace must never give way to war, that the poor must never be bullied by the rich, and how we are obligated to help end that.
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