We begin this episode with a look at popular culture of the early 60s, as Hollywood began making more technicolor epics such as "Lawrence of Arabia," and also increasingly addressed social issues in films like "To Kill a Mockingbird" and "Judgment at Nuremberg." Folk artists like Joan Baez and Bob Dylan outcompeted rock-and-roll musicians for a place on the pop charts, but new bands such as The Beach Boys kept the spirit of rock alive. President John F. Kennedy tried to make the most of the optimistic mood of the early 1960s, but his domestic policy reforms were sometimes stifled by a conservative coalition in Congress. Among young people, new groups such as the right-wing Young Americans for Freedom and the left-wing Students for a Democratic Society questioned the centrist "Cold War consensus." We end this episode with a deep dive into the Ole Miss riot of September 1962, which was almost certainly the biggest single pro-segregation insurrection of the civil rights era. Despite the efforts of Dixiecrat politicians to foment "massive resistance" to integration, and the violence of vigilante mobs, African-American student James Meredith ultimately was able to enroll in and graduate from the University of Mississippi.

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Although the majority of white Southerners were staunchly opposed to racial integration during the 1950 & 60s, there were a few mavericks who held a different point of view. One of these was Big Jim Folsom, who successfully ran for Governor of Alabama in 1946, and again in 1954. Gov. Folsom gained popularity by challenging the corruption and selfishness of the wealthy elites who dominated state politics. He became known for building roads & schools, and he created old-age pensions & worker protection laws. However, by the mid-50s, a different and uglier version of populism began sweeping the South, as white Southerners rallied against the push to give civil rights & voting rights to African-Americans. Folsom's popularity suffered because he was relatively progressive on racial issues, & said he would not defy the federal courts if they mandated integration. In 1962, Big Jim's racial tolerance, along with his many personal flaws & vices, caused him to lose the governor's race to George C. Wallace, a former Folsom supporter who had become a militant segregationist. Gov. Wallace went on to gain national fame as a far-right demagogue, while Big Jim & his form of economic populism faded from the Southern political scene.

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In the long-awaited next episode in our Kennedys series, we explore how JFK went from a relatively obscure rookie senator to a viable presidential candidate. We document his imperfect but glamorous marriage to Jacqueline Bouvier, his controversial refusal to censure Joe McCarthy, and his continued battle with health problems. We also explore how the publication of Jack's award-winning book "Profiles in Courage," and his attempt to win the vice-presidential nomination in 1956, helped to raise Kennedy's national profile. The battle against organized crime took center stage in domestic politics during the 1950s, while continued decolonization abroad shook up the international situation & forced Americans to cope with the damage the Jim Crow system was doing to the effort to win over potential Cold War allies in the Third World. Kennedy would try to steer a moderate course in the debates of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, hoping to appeal to Northern liberals without alienating the White Southerners within the Democratic Party coalition. We conclude by noting how JFK promoted himself as a promising young political star in the national media, setting the stage for his successful 1960 presidential run.

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