“Coleman’s insistence on the rule of law, opposition to the Citizens Councils, and call for reason” was heresy bordering on blasphemy. He was pilloried by two-time gubernatorial loser Ross Barnett, whose “sole campaign theme” was white supremacy. Barnett “denounced Democratic opponents in the state house as moderates … for inviting Federal agents to investigate the lynching of a black man.” He promised, instead, to protect Mississippi’s sovereignty and unleash the full force and fury of the state on civil rights agitators.13 In 1960, Barnett was not going to be a three-time loser. Instead, he
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