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