the kingfish
Huey. P. Long was a man to be reckoned with. Regardless of the attitude one takes toward his radical populist politics, it is indisputable that the "Kingfish" was Louisiana politics from the late 1920's until his assassination in 1935. He remains one of the great political paradoxes of the 20th century, "a man who openly believed in using the machinery of state for economic intervention in pursuit of social and political ends...and yet has been hailed as a champion of the little man, enfranchiser of the poor and the disadvantaged" (Wall). Contradictory though he was, "with the natural gift of cleverness, his proverbial razor-sharp wit, and claimed affinity with the common man, he learned to use and abuse those time-honored methods for ensuring the absolute supremacy of a political machine" (Wall). Long managed to secure his position as the virtual dictator of Louisiana through his strong-arm tactics and by using the old southern politics of personality to publicize his war against the established economic hierarchy. Wh
Funding for LSU and the Port of New Orleans greatly increased. He also proposed limiting private fortunes to $50 million, legacies to $5 million, and annual incomes to $1 million. The outcome of the race would never find its way into the papers, though, as Long was assassinated on the steps of the Louisiana capitol building (a project he had set in motion) in September of 1935. Some believed that he "got what was coming to him" and others remembered only that he "did a lot for Louisiana," but whatever one's view, it is clear that the Kingfish's assassination ended the career of one of the most charismatic and influential politicians in Louisiana's history and the history of the United States. "Those are the things we propose to do," said Long, " 'Every man a king'. Everyone over age 60 would receive an old-age pension" (SSA Website). Social Security Administration Website.
Common topics in this essay:
Wall Contradictory,
President Roosevelt's,
Halford Needless,
Kingfish Louisiana,
Share Wealth,
Louisiana Wealth,
SSA Website,
Heights IL,
King Huey,
Wealth Program,
jan 2004,
southern politics,
history united,
share wealth,
economic intervention,
louisiana politics,
'every king',
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Acceptance Essays
