DESEGREGATION HEATS UP POLITICS IN THE SOUTH
Throughout his political career, George Wallace would oscillate between
the attitudes liberalism, paternal segregation and more extreme white supremacist
views. In his effort to gain the governorship, Wallace consciously took
a hard-line on the issue of segregation and voting rights in order to appease
the growing sentiment of racial fear and hatred. In an interview with John
Kennedy, Jr. for George magazine (October/November 1995) Wallace conceded,
"Anyone who was running on a platform of integration back then would
have been defeated in Alabama. I'm quite sure I would have been defeated
if I had supported it." The question remains: Was Governor George Wallace
merely reflecting the popular attitudes of the time?
