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The Fire Within: The Baldwin Meeting And The Evolution Of The Kennedy Administration's Approach To Civil Rights, Todd Saucedo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the Kennedy Administration's decision to propose comprehensive civil rights legislation in June, 1963. The work focuses on the relationship between the Kennedy brothers, particularly on Robert F. Kennedy's position as his brother's main adviser and his influence on the president's final decision to go forward with legislation. It begins by exploring the Kennedy's childhood, then traces the brothers' approach toward civil rights during the campaigns of 1952 and 1960, and concludes with an assessment of the Kennedy administration's civil rights policy during his presidency. The thesis puts special emphasis on a May, 1963 meeting between Robert Kennedy …