J. R. Ewing subterfuges to plunder his foes' wealth. The original series concept was a blend of "Bonanza" with a rich, western patriarch and his three dissimilar sons, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with its rival brothers, and their scheming wives, and "Romeo and Juliet" with two star-crossed lovers whose families are sworn enemies. The focus of the series was initially the feuding families, with J.R. just a supporting character, but his popularity grew and the producers acknowledged he became the breakout character. Two highly rated 1980 episodes became part of a cultural phenomenon that year known as "Who shot J.R.?". In
Their Eyes Were Watching God based. Racism was gaining legitimacy in the decades leading up to Hurston's writing of "Their Eyes Were Watching God". Baptist preacher Thomas Dixon, Jr. wrote "The Leopard's Spots: A Romance of the White Man's Burden" in 1902, asserting white supremacy amidst supposed African-American evil and corruption. The book was so popular that Dixon wrote a trilogy. His second novel, "", was adapted for the silent film "The Birth of a Nation", portraying African-American men in an unintelligent, sexually aggressive light (1915). During the Harlem Renaissance, African-American writers were urged to write toward an Uplift program, to improve the image of