In this chapter about African-American civil rights activist John Lewis, author John Egerton discusses in detail his upbringing and work within the movement to bring about racial equality. Egerton praised Lewis for his eternal idealism that racial equality could be achieved even after being imprisoned over forty times for the cause. Lewis witnessed the effects of segregation while growing up in Pike County, Alabama. While attending college, Lewis became less interested in the ritual aspects of his Baptist faith and more interested in practically applying his faith to bring about social equality as Christ did. Lewis chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) for four years and participated in other civil rights initiatives during his early years in the Civil Rights Movement. Egerton combined Lewis' biography with the surrounding context of the American political landscape during the 1960s.