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The Long Hot Summer : Throughline Starting in 1965, summer after summer, America's cities burned. There was civil unrest in more than 150 cities across the country. So in 1967, Lyndon Johnson appointed a commission to diagnose the root causes of the problem and to suggest solutions. What the so called "Kerner Commission" returned with was hotly anticipated and shocking to many Americans. This week, how that report and the reaction to it continues to shape American life.

Throughline

The Long Hot Summer

The Long Hot Summer

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  • Detroit police during the civil unrest, summer of 1967.
    Detroit police during the civil unrest, summer of 1967.
    AFP via Getty Images
  • A Michigan state officer searches someone on Detroit's 12th Street where looting was still in process, July 24, 1967. Others lean against the wall waiting to be searched.
    A Michigan state officer searches someone on Detroit's 12th Street where looting was still in process, July 24, 1967. Others lean against the wall waiting to be searched.
    ASSOCIATED PRESS
  • The Kerner Commission in session, Washington DC, 1967. Officially called the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, it was created by President Lyndon Johnson to investigate the causes of the 1967 civil unrest in the United States and to provide recommendations for the future.
    The Kerner Commission in session, Washington DC, 1967. Officially called the National Advisory Commission on Civil Disorders, it was created by President Lyndon Johnson to investigate the causes of the 1967 civil unrest in the United States and to provide recommendations for the future.
    Underwood Archives/Getty Images
  • A Michigan State officer stands on guard on as buildings burn in Detroit, July 25, 1967.
    A Michigan State officer stands on guard on as buildings burn in Detroit, July 25, 1967.
    AFP via Getty Images
  • President Lyndon Johnson speaks to the Kerner Commission at the group's first meeting at the White House on July 29, 1967. Otto Kerner, left, of Illinois, the chairman of the group and Mayor John Lindsay of New York (right) vice chairman.
    President Lyndon Johnson speaks to the Kerner Commission at the group's first meeting at the White House on July 29, 1967. Otto Kerner, left, of Illinois, the chairman of the group and Mayor John Lindsay of New York (right) vice chairman.
    WX/AP

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Starting in 1965, summer after summer, America's cities burned. There was civil unrest in more than 150 cities across the country. So in 1967, Lyndon Johnson appointed a commission to diagnose the root causes of the problem and to suggest solutions. What the so called "Kerner Commission" returned with was hotly anticipated and shocking to many Americans. This week, how that report and the reaction to it continues to shape American life.

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Correction July 17, 2020

In a previous version of this episode we referred to John Lindsay as a senator, he was mayor of New York City at the time. The audio has been changed to reflect this fact.