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“The Great Land of the Free”: Kefauver and Civil Liberties

Estes Kefauver always took a strong stance on civil rights. Time and again, he stood up for suspected Communists and other unpopular groups. In the era of McCarthyism and the Red Scare, that was a lonely place to be.
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Look For the Union Label: Kefauver and Organized Labor

Estes Kefauver was one of the best friends that organized labor had in the Senate. How did a Southerner from a white-collar background become such a strong ally of unions? Because he was willing to listen.
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A Complicated but Courageous Legacy: Kefauver and Civil Rights

Estes Kefauver was one of the few Southern Senators who didn’t take the segregationist line on civil rights. A closer look at his record shows a man who evolved over time… but remained consistent in his belief in moderate progress and equal application of the law.
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Campaign 1956, Part 2: “He Just Can’t Stop”

Kefauver lost the nomination, but he won a consolation prize: Stevenson’s VP nomination. Their campaign started with a ray of hope… that turned out to be the headlight of Ike’s oncoming train.
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Campaign 1956, Part 1: If At First You Don’t Succeed…

Undaunted by his loss in 1952, Kefauver tried for the Presidency a second time. This time, though, he’d have company in the primaries. Adlai Stevenson was taking it to the streets.
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Campaign 1952: The Rise – and Fall – of “Senator Legend”

Riding a wave of popularity from the televised crime hearings, a young Kefauver – still in his first term as a Senator – decided to run for President. His popularity carried him a long way… but, as it turned out, not long enough.
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The Story of the Coonskin Cap

The coonskin cap was a symbol for Estes Kefauver throughout his political career. Why? Hint: It had nothing to do with Davy Crockett.
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Why Kefauver? Why Now?

Why try to revive the memory of a Senator who’s been dead for 60 years? Because we need a man like Estes Kefauver now more than ever.
