¶ … Kennedys and Kings by Harris Wofford
This is a book review of "Of Kennedy's and Kings" by Harris Wofford. It uses the book as a source.
This is a book that describes and tries to explain one of the most important and controversial periods in our political history. The author, Harris Wofford, has the advantage however of providing the reader with valuable insight on what was the atmosphere and ground reality in the 1960's from the point-of-view of an individual who was actually part of the political scene. He was a colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King during the civil rights movement, co-organizer of the Peace Corps, U.S. senator and now co-chair of America's Promise: Alliance for Youth. He worked closely with some of our nation's most beloved figures, Martin Luther King Jr. And President Kennedy. This book traces the events of history and embellishes them with his own personal memories, thus bringing alive to us what are well-known and extensively debated facts and ideas.
The book begins with an introduction to the environment and feel of the political scene in the early 60's. It describes the various tensions at play amongst the Negro community, the Democrats and Republicans, and the competition to obtain and retain the votes of the public by the main presidential candidates. A fine balance needed to be maintained and much depended upon Kennedy's ability to woo the Black voter without offending the White community. He and his camp were treading a fine line and Harris Wofford, being the civil rights advisor for JFK, was more aware of the complexities and fragility of the situation than most.
It is implied that it was Kennedy's call to Corretta King to sympathize with her husband's incarceration...
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