Why Ted Kennedy Will Be Remembered as a Great Person in History

Some say the entire Kennedy clan was harmful to our country. And it doesn't take them long to point out issues they believe others will understand that ruined our country. They loved women and they were very rich. They knew how to live a very upscale lifestyle. They stuck to themselves and backed each other up - whether right or wrong.

Now we see the family only through the eyes of history.

If Ted Kennedy had not been in Washington for 50 years, the United States would have a different set of laws. He knew how to lead and he knew how to get bills passed. If he believed in a bill and that it would be good for the country and its people, he went to work and kept at it until everyone knew his reasoning. Ted Kennedy always felt that he carried the ideals of his brothers, Jack and Bobby, on his shoulders. When the Kennedy family stepped up to bat during the 1960s, they stepped on toes and they changed the world. They listened, yet were extremely forceful. Ted Kennedy continued that legacy until his death and maybe later. He worked on a health care bill he thought would improve conditions for many in the United States and he believed in it. He would not quit.

Ted Kennedy continued to care for the children of his brothers after they died, as he quickly became the patriarch of the family. Both of his parents, Rose and Joe, were very strong-minded and they looked out for the Kennedy family.

Most likely they passed that sense of family responsibility to him and entrusted him to be true to the Kennedy family. The public knew much about Ted and his family, but the Kennedy's insisted on strict privacy in many matters and the media understood they meant it.

Often, he paired with people that most of us wouldn't have thought he could or would have. Ted Kennedy was a great negotiator, yet, he knew how to hold his own. Mr. Kennedy could build someone up - or he could cut them down. He was well-known throughout the world and leaders in other countries still listened, even after 50 years, when Ted Kennedy spoke.

What will we probably remember most about Edward Kennedy, whose nickname was Ted?

1. Ted Kennedy was the younger brother in the family. No one would have dreamed that his two older brothers would be shot down in public so close together in time. They were both political men working for their country.

2. Ted Kennedy began his life-long political career when the United States was in bitter upheaval and there was great ethnic dissent.

3. Ted Kennedy possibly had a lot to do with the drowning of a young woman. It has been said that he was drinking and went home immediately to avoid the next step. This, indeed, was very wrong. In fact, it was a deciding fact in holding him back in his political career.

4. Ted Kennedy fought hard for the good of the country. He was like a bull-dog. When he believed in something, he would not give up until the bill had passed or he'd done his best.

5. Ted Kennedy was well-known, well-read and respected throughout the world.

6. The democratic party had great respect for Ted Kennedy and he continued to be a party leader throughout his lifetime.

7. Ted Kennedy wasn't afraid to stand alone and worked diligently to have others join his circle.

8. Ted Kennedy just never gave up until his very last day.