First Things RSS Feed - Stephen L. Carter https://www.firstthings.com/author/stephen-l-carter en-us Copyright 2025 First Things. All Rights Reserved. ft@firstthings.com (The Editors) ft@firstthings.com (The Editors) Mon, 20 Jan 2025 16:53:15 -0500 https://d2201k5v4hmrsv.cloudfront.net/img/favicon-196.png First Things RSS Feed Image https://www.firstthings.com/rss/author/stephen-l-carter 60 Liberalism’s Religion Problem https://www.firstthings.com/article/2002/03/liberalisms-religion-problem https://www.firstthings.com/article/2002/03/liberalisms-religion-problem Fri, 01 Mar 2002 00:00:00 -0500 In God’s Long Summer , Charles Marsh’s splendid book on religion in the civil rights movement, the theologian recounts a fascinating anecdote about Fannie Lou Hamer, a founder and the guiding spirit of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP). In the summer of 1964 the MFDP waged a challenge to the credentials of the lily–white Mississippi slate of delegates to the Democratic National Convention, a slate chosen by the lily–white Mississippi Democratic Party. The MFDP offered an integrated slate of delegates, many of whom, like Mrs. Hamer herself, had tried to register to vote and had been punished for it. The controversy terrified President Lyndon Johnson, who wanted no blot on the celebration of his nomination. So he sent his Vice President–in–waiting, Hubert Humphrey, to visit Mrs. Hamer, with orders to buy her off.

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