Southern Manifesto

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The Southern Manifesto was a document written in February-March 1956 by legislators in the United States Congress opposed to racial integration in public places. It was signed by 96 politicians from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia.

The document was largely drawn up to counter the landmark Supreme Court 1954 ruling Brown v. Board of Education, which integrated public schools. It was signed by 19 Senators and 77 members of the House of Representatives, including the entire congressional delegations of the states of Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Virginia. All of the signatories were Southern Democrats but two: Republicans Joel Broyhill and Richard Poff of Virginia. School segregation laws were some of the most enduring and best-known of the Jim Crow laws that characterized the American South and several northern states at the time.

This so-called Southern Manifesto accused the Supreme Court of "clear abuse of judicial power." It further promised to use "all lawful means to bring about a reversal of this decision which is contrary to the Constitution and to prevent the use of force in its implementation." [1]


Contents

[edit] Key Quotes

"The unwarranted decision of the Supreme Court in the public school cases is now bearing the fruit always produced when men substitute naked power for established law."

"The original Constitution does not mention education. Neither does the 14th Amendment nor any other amendment. The debates preceding the submission of the 14th Amendment clearly show that there was no intent that it should affect the system of education maintained by the States."

"This interpretation, restated time and again, became a part of the life of the people of many of the States and confirmed their habits, traditions, and way of life. It is founded on elemental humanity and commonsense, for parents should not be deprived by Government of the right to direct the lives and education of their own children."

[edit] Signatories

United States Senate

Non-Signatories:

United States House of Representatives

Alabama:

Arkansas:

Florida:

Non-Signatories:

Georgia:

Louisiana:

Mississippi:

North Carolina:

Non-Signatories:

  • Richard Chatham (D)
  • Harold Cooley (D)
  • Charles Deane (D)
  • Charles Jonas (R)

South Carolina:

Tennessee:

Non-Signatories:

Texas:

Non-Signatories:

Virginia:


[edit] References

  1. ^ Grand Expectations The United States, 1945-1974 (1996) page 398

[edit] See also

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

[edit] External links

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