Original City, Original Sin King, the Klan, and the Fight for Civil Rights in St. Augustine, Florida
Book contents
- Original City, Original Sin
- Reviews
- Original City, Original Sin
- Copyright page
- Frontispiece
- Dedication
- Contents
- Cast of Characters, 1963–64
- Introduction: The Story behind the Story
- Part I The Ever-Present Past
- Part II From Back to School to Burning Crosses
- Part III Tragedy in American History
- Part IV The Hard Goodbye that Proves Impossible
- 15 Divine Wisdom
- 16 Reform School
- 17 The Problem We All Live With
- 18 Churning
- 19 I Want to Hold Your Hand
- 20 Desperate Times
- Part V The First Wave Crashes into St. Augustine
- Part VI Extraordinarily Harrowed
- Part VII The Pen vS. the Sword
- Epilogue: What Must Be Remembered
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Newspaper Abbreviations
- Notes
- Index
17 - The Problem We All Live With
January 14, 1964 (St. Augustine)
from Part IV - The Hard Goodbye that Proves Impossible
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 October 2026
Book contents
- Original City, Original Sin
- Reviews
- Original City, Original Sin
- Copyright page
- Frontispiece
- Dedication
- Contents
- Cast of Characters, 1963–64
- Introduction: The Story behind the Story
- Part I The Ever-Present Past
- Part II From Back to School to Burning Crosses
- Part III Tragedy in American History
- Part IV The Hard Goodbye that Proves Impossible
- 15 Divine Wisdom
- 16 Reform School
- 17 The Problem We All Live With
- 18 Churning
- 19 I Want to Hold Your Hand
- 20 Desperate Times
- Part V The First Wave Crashes into St. Augustine
- Part VI Extraordinarily Harrowed
- Part VII The Pen vS. the Sword
- Epilogue: What Must Be Remembered
- Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Newspaper Abbreviations
- Notes
- Index
Summary
Set on January 14, 1964, this chapter focuses primarily on Norman Rockwell, the painter long known for a glorified nostalgia about America.
Nearing his 70th birthday, Rockwell has tired of the pressure from the Saturday Evening Post to aggrandize the country and to ignore issues like racial tension. He makes a break from the magazine that had made him famous for 47 years. On this day in 1964, he shocks many of his fans with a painting in Look magazine called “The Problem We All Live With.” The painting depicts 6-year-old Ruby Bridges, a Black girl in a white dress striding into school in New Orleans accompanied by federal marshals. The painting takes place against a backdrop of racism: the painted word “N*****,” the letters “KKK,” and a blood-like splat of tomato.
On the same day in Florida, the St. Augustine Four are finally set free and returned home.
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- Original City, Original SinKing, the Klan, and the Fight for Civil Rights in St. Augustine, Florida, pp. 163 - 167Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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