About this episode:
Long before Governor Ron DeSantis declared a new war on wokeness, Florida lawmakers in the 1950s and 60s tried going after the NAACP, suspected communists and gay people in Florida schools and universities. The lawmakers upended life for countless numbers of their fellow Floridians before being upended themselves by their own zeal for the cause. Now that DeSantis is bringing this playbook to a presidential campaign, Rachel Maddow and Isaac-Davy Aronson ask what we can learn from the last time Florida went down this path.
Related material:
Archives: The infamous “Purple Pamphlet” (Warning: Graphic content): See the 1964 report that was so scandalous it led to the downfall of the powerful Johns Committee.
Watch: “The Committee” documentary: Produced by students and faculty at the University of Central Florida, “The Committee” features interviews with people who were targeted by The Johns Committee.
Book: Communists and Perverts Under the Palms: Our guest Stacy Braukman’s brilliantly-titled book about the Johns Committee.
Book: Finding Dan McCarty: Our guest Robert Buccellato’s book about Charley Johns and the progressive Florida governor who was his nemesis.
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