As the 1960 battle of the Democratic primaries moved from the plains of Wisconsin to the mountains of West Virginia, the character of the struggle changed. It was most noticeable in the state's southern half, where shutdown coal mines left company towns grimly trademarked by "Eisenhower curtains" (windows boarded up), families living on "rockin' chair" (unemployment compensation) and "mollygrub" (surplus-food handouts). Despite prosperous factories in the northern half, the state's labor force is 15% unemployed, worst in the nation.
Against this background, each candidate tried in his own way to put his name upon the New Deal legacy of Franklin Delano Roosevelt,...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
