Ted Kennedy Dies

 A era in American history has passed: Ted Kennedy, brother to Robert Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy, and former candidate for president in 1980, has succumbed to brain cancer.

Love him or hate, there's no denying the man had quite the influence. What did he do, you may ask? Well, here's a quick run down of a few things:

In 1965 he helped to pass the Hart-Celler Act abolished quotas for immigrants from other countries and lifted a 1924 ban on Asian immigrants.

In 1971 he worked to and got passed legislation that created a federal cancer research program which consequently quadrupled the amount of money used to fight cancer.

In 1972 he was the key backer of Title IX, an amendment that ended sex discrimination in athletics by requiring colleges and universities to put forth equal funding for men's and women's sports.

In 1974 he, along with Sen. Hugh Scott of Pennsylvania, spearheaded the overhaul of ethics rules after Watergate, which resulted in limiting political donations and creating public financing for presidential candidates.

In 1990, Kennedy and Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, wrote the wonderful Family and Medical Leave Act, thus requiring businesses to give unpaid leave for family emergencies or after the birth of infants without the threat of losing one's job. President Clinton made it law in 1993.

In 1996 he helped to pass the Kennedy-Kassebaum Act, which, according to Newsvine, "allowed employees to keep health insurance after leaving their job and prohibited health insurance companies from refusing to renew coverage on the basis of pre-existing medical conditions."

There are so may other wonderful things he did. Yes, he did some bad things, such as leaving the scene of an accident where a young lady friend of his died. But a man's legacy must be measured by all his deeds and his good outweighed his bad. His passing closes the door on the chapter of American history concerning "America's Royal Family," the Kennedy's.