Adlai Stevenson & Estes Kefauver Debate
Digital Collection
Identifier: islandora:250, local: md5_5b160e0ce0776f4831fd37394a815e20
Dates
- Broadcast: 1965-05-21
Summary
Four years prior to the celebrated Kennedy/Nixon debate, Democratic primary contenders Adlai Stevenson and Estes Kefauver politely squared off in the first presidential debate conducted before television cameras. On May 21, 1956, Miami’s ABC affiliate WTVJ broadcast a one hour meeting of these “friendly rivals,” moderated by Quincy Howe. Shown only in the Miami region, the debate took place the day after the U.S. tested its first airdropped H-bomb, at Bikini Atoll, and nuclear proliferation, racial segregation, and the balance between big and small business dominated the discussion. Stevenson went on to win the primary but lose the election to Eisenhower. Four years later, Stevenson failed in his third attempt to gain the Democratic nomination, and the Kennedy era ushered in an ever more “connected” populace, with the expectation that politics be continually played out in the media.
Language of Materials
English
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Adlai Stevenson, 1962
Processing Information
Digitized 16mm film
Repository Details
Part of the Audiovisual Collection Repository
Contact:
112 North Sixth Street
Springfield IL 62701 US
(217) 785-7955
megan.klintworth@illinois.gov
112 North Sixth Street
Springfield IL 62701 US
(217) 785-7955
megan.klintworth@illinois.gov