Religious Tolerance.

In 1960 John Fitzgerald Kennedy became the second Roman Catholic to be nominated for president by the Democratic party. In contrast to the failed campaign of Al Smith in 1928, Kennedy was successful, but his success raised questions about religious tolerance in the United States.

Campaign Organization.

Kennedy attracted attention as a possible presidential candidate when southern Democrats supported his nomination for vice-president in 1956. By 1960 his two years of effort had created the most-effective campaign organization of all the Democratic contenders. But his religion was an issue that worried his friends and supporters. He quieted much of that apprehension when he easily won the primary in West Virginia. If he carried this largely Protestant state, perhaps sectarian animosity was declining.

Evangelical Opposition.

But opposition remained. In May the Southern Baptist Convention objected to electing Roman Catholics to office, noting "When a public official...