Huey Long: The Kingfish

Huey Long traces the life and career of the notorious Louisiana politician from his early days on the state rail road commission through his tumultuous reign as governor and finally as U. S. senator during the Great Depression. It presents Long as a quixotic southern Populist who used tyrannical tactics to challenge established political and corporate interests.The documentary highlights Long's appeal to the states impoverished rural voters while also examining the wide-ranging corruption within his administrations. It is recommended for high school students interested in American history and political science.

• arrogant
• dictator
• escapade
• impeach
• landslide
• martial law
• photographic memory
• political establishment
• ruthless
• shrewd
• tetanus

1. What did Huey Long mean by the phrase, "every man a king"?

2. How did Huey Long's childhood affect his adult life?

3. How did Huey Long attain an image of a man of the people? Why did he seek that image, even though many of the people who supported him were poor and could not donate large sums of money to his campaigns? Why did he attack the Standard Oil Corporation?

4. What was Huey Long's appeal? Could his campaign style have succeeded in another time? Could he prove successful in politics today?

5. How did Long use the media to further his career?

6. Why was Long considered a ruthless political operator? Were his tactics more or less ruthless than those used by politicians today?

7. How did the threat of impeachment alter Long's career? Do you think he should have been impeached? Why did voters continue to support him even after the impeachment proceedings?

8. Why has Long's life been the subject of so many movies and books? Why are people still fascinated by his life story half a century after his death?

1. Write a speech, which Long might have given. Focus on a topic that would have been important to Long in the late twenties or early thirties. Try to borrow from his rhetorical style-- remember that he often used the names of rich men, like Morgan and Rockefeller, in his speeches, and that he often used stories or jokes to make his point.

2. Huey Long remains among the most controversial of American politicians. Some people considered him a hero, others called him a tyrant. Write an essay in which you discuss both sides and offer your own assessment of Longs career and achievements.

3. Huey Long presented the "Share Our Wealth" plan to solve the problems wrought by the Great Depression. Do you think the plan could have worked? Why, or why not? What solution would you offer to solve the problems of poverty and economic inequity today?

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Air Dates

• January 26, 2005