“The story is about these two individuals who are sort of leaders of freedom movements and think of themselves as leaders of freedom movements…”
Writer, lecturer, and teacher Nicholas Buccola said he was moved to write the story of 1964 Republican presidential candidate Barry Goldwater and civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“…and are perceived by their supporters as leaders of freedom movements, and yet they view each other with mutual suspicion and even hostility.”
The book, One Man’s Freedom: Goldwater, King, and the Struggle Over an American Ideal, explores how the two men’s conflicting visions of freedom remain.
“So, when we think about our politics today, I mean we still have a lot of these debates depending on the issue or the politician where we’re with this tension that exists in this story is within a lot of Americans.”
Buccola says the past influences our individual political decisions.
“It’s there, whether we admit it or not, and so trying to think about the ways in which this history has shaped us in some ways, and then what can we learn from this history to make wise choices in the present.”
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