Based on a complete oral history of the "lion of the Senate," this book presents the compelling story of Edward Kennedy's unexpected rise to become one of the most consequential legislators in American history and a passionate defender of progressive values.

Barbara A. Perry, a well-known authority on the Kennedys, is the director of Presidential Studies and co-chair of the Presidential Oral History Program at the University of Virginia's Miller Center, where she completed the Edward Kennedy Oral History Project. She is the author of Rose Kennedy: The Life and Times of a Political Matriarch and Jacqueline Kennedy: First Lady of the New Frontier.

• Preface


• Editorial Note


• 1 Growing up Kennedy: Lessons from a Political Dynasty


• 2 The Making of a President: Campaigning for JFK and a Brother in the White House


• 3 Joining the Family Business: Teddy Goes to the Senate


• 4 Striving for Equality: Civil Rights-The Work Begins


• 5 Striving for Equality: Civil Rights-The Cause Continues


• 6 Transforming from Hawk to Dove: The Vietnam Dilemma


• 7 Trying to Restore Camelot: Bobby's 1968 Presidential Campaign and Its Aftermath


• 8 Challenging a President: The Quest for the 1980 Nomination


• 9 Shaping the Supreme Court: Judicial Appointment Battles


• 10 Holding on to a Senate Seat: The 1994 Campaign Struggle


• 11 Pursuing Peace: Kennedy's Irish-Catholic Roots and Northern Ireland


• 12 Creating a Melting Pot: Immigration


• 13 Escaping a Quagmire: The Iraq War


• 14 Fighting for Universal Health Care: The Dream of a Lifetime


• 15 Coming Home to Port: Summaries of a Historic Life


• Epilogue: Observations on Oral History


• Appendix: List of Edward M. Kennedy Oral History Project Interviews


• Index