Songwriters Richard Rodgers (1902–1979) and Oscar Hammerstein II (1985–1960), circa 1950. Rodgers and Hammerstein composed music for films and television. Pictorial Parade/Getty Images
The lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II wrote many beautiful songs for Broadway musicals. One that was not beautiful, but powerful for what it said about race relations in 1949 when the show opened was “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught.” The song was about being taught to hate.
Cal Thomas
Author
John Calvin Thomas has been a syndicated columnist, author, and radio commentator for more than 35 years. His latest book is “America's Expiration Date: The Fall of Empires and Superpowers and the Future of the United States.”
