Book review of Kennedys and Kings by Harris Wofford

¶ … 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 that tipped the balance of the election in Kennedy's favor. Many explanations and opinions on the strategy and intentions behind this action have been put forward over the years but according to Wofford it was an incident that was not as actively planned as previously projected. It happened amidst JFK's camp's attempt to uphold their liberal and pro-civil rights sentiments while not losing the Southern vote. That the outcome was in their favor was a happy but not pre-planned occurrence.

Through his personal glimpses the author conveys a sense of the era and the political condition. The Civil Rights movement was in full action, with Martin Luther King and his father commanding a massive following of Black and White people. With an emerging media apparatus and spreading social spirit every action and quote was analyzed and debated, and communicated all over the country. The presidential campaign was the focus of interest for all sectors of society and the charisma of the new young Democrat was a major reason.

The book describes how Kennedy and his mandate conveyed a sense of a futuristic outlook. The young senator was promising change, improved foreign policy, a war on poverty, and if not always explicitly seemed to imply that he believed in equal rights. He was surrounded by a younger group of people including the author, his brother and many other talented charismatic men and women who shared his vision for the country.

The author aside from being a politician and academician has always been an enthusiastic advocate of civil service. Much of the book conveys the concept and important stages in the Civil Rights movement. Describing the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955) and King's reaction to encourage the participation of students and the common people in passive protests is revealing. The era comes alive under the authors pen with descriptions of sit-ins, protests, civil disobedience and the emotion evoked by such harnessing of power and will. The people were slowly uniting to overthrow an injustice and the strongholds were weakening. The author upholds King's belief in non-violence and emphasizes the Gandhian philosophy as the core of democratic values.

JFK believed in the moral correctness of integration but was also of the opinion that the Civil Rights movement needed to be controlled with sensitivity and sensibility to prevent violence and terror all over the south. This seemingly conservative policy has been the butt of many criticisms but the volatile atmosphere in which these events were occurring has been depicted by the writer so as to better help us understand the worries and constraints under which these men were working. The President was the formulator of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 but had trouble in gaining support in congress due to the very reason that he often had to take an open stand with the civil rights workers at the cost of antagonizing the racist Southern Democrats in Congress who wielded considerable power. It was a perpetual balancing act with none of the parties being pleased.

Aside from public agitation, protests and struggles between the Negroes and racist elements, the nation was also beset by the mafia, CIA controversies, and fear of communism. During their tenure the Kennedy's had defined a stronger foreign policy, and instigated an intelligence and space race that was to gain momentum. JFK proved the faith of the people in his political abilities by holding his own with the likes of Khrushchev and Castro, and this without overt offense.

Movements such as the Peace Corps were organized with Wofford, Shriver and others at the helm. Kennedy was spreading and encouraging the youth to help him in bringing alive his vision and their own ideals, just like King. Reforms were put in place so that National Service became a reality and poverty, social services, segregation, labor laws could be modified and improved. The 1960's was a time of great upheaval and dismissal of many long held traditions in favor of viewpoints more in keeping with a modern and progressive world society.