Southern Manifesto

Words: 1086
Pages: 5
Open Document
In 1954, The Supreme Court ruled “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal” and put an end to racial segregation in the case of Brown v. Board of Education. Thus revolutionizing the nation’s education system by overruling the concept of “separate but equal,” which had been in place for nearly a century. Southern legislators in congress disagreed with The Supreme Court and united to construct the Southern Manifesto in opposition. The authors of the Southern Manifesto use previous supreme court rulings to argue that the desegregation of schools is unconstitutional and infringes upon the rights of State Government.
The Southern Manifesto pulls from past Supreme Court rulings to negate the present outcome of Brown v. Board of education. …show more content…
The manifesto also declares that since 1849 segregation has not been considered unconstitutional according to The Supreme Court; “the doctrine of separate but equal schools ‘apparently originated in Roberts v. City of Boston (1849), upholding school segregation against attack as being violative of a State constitutional guarantee of equality.’” Roberts v. City of Boston was a case where a father wanted to enroll his five year old daughter in the nearby white school to prevent the psychological trauma the young girl would …show more content…
They claim that checks and balances were meant to prevent such power from being in the hands of the few; “The Founding Fathers gave us a Constitution of checks and balances because they realized the inescapable lesson of history that no man or group of men can be safely entrusted with unlimited power.” This argument ignores the fact that The Supreme Court is a part of that very system of checks and balances. It serves as a check on acts passed by congress ensure that the laws that are in place abide by The Constitution. Also, the Southern Manifesto rejects the court’s ruling on the basis of there being a lack of consent of the governed; “Without regard to the consent of the governed, outside mediators are threatening immediate and revolutionary changes in our public schools systems.” However, the Supreme Court Justices are elected by the president and confirmed by The Senate. Justices are put into positions of office by officials the people have appointed for government. Therefore, the people consent to be governed by the officials they elect. Lastly, the authors of the manifesto decry the end to segregation as unconstitutional and decide not to abide by it; “We pledge ourselves 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.”
Show More

Related Documents: Southern Manifesto

Southern Manifesto Research Paper

as a result of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education.The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, in the United States Congress, in opposition to racial integration of public places.[1] The manifesto was signed by 101 politicians (99 Southern Democrats and two Republicans) from Alabama, The impact that segregation academies had on the civil rights movement was that it wasn't…

Words 124 - Pages 1

Gandhi And The Civil Rights Movement

In 1963, Birmingham, Alabama, was one of the nuclei of American industry in the South, in addition to being the most segregated city in the United States of America. In the spring of the same year, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) launched one of the most important and influential campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement: the Birmingham Campaign, also known as Project C. This campaign was a nonviolent attempt to cease discrimination towards the African American population; however…

Words 658 - Pages 3

What Freedom Means To Us Analysis

ideal of equality of opportunity a reality for every citizen regardless of his race, creed, or color” (pg. 251). In the Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education, racial segregation within public schools was outlawed. Unfortunately, the Southern…

Words 648 - Pages 3

Ralph Yarborough's Fight For The Civil Rights Activist

1971. During this time Yarborough took a stand for the little man, and spearheaded support for civil rights, which was extremely taboo for a southerner in those times. In fact, he was the only southern senator to support all civil rights legislation in the 50's and 60's and rejected the Southern Manifesto of 1956. He was a progressive paragon that faced steep opposition from his fellow Democrats, but even in the face of this hostility he stood firm in his belief of equality. However, he did not stop…

Words 146 - Pages 1

Port Huron Statement Analysis Essay

and to many contestations through popular means, like music, for example, with Jimi Hendrix. The Port Huron Statement written in 1962 is one of those movements raised to show this disillusionment many people were feeling in the 1960’s. It is the manifesto of the American activist movement Students for a Democratic…

Words 981 - Pages 4

Civil Rights Movement In The 1950's

Activism refers to the use of vigorous action or adoption of an effort that enables an individual or a group of people to achieve specific goals such as political, social or cultural motives. The effort applied by the individuals usually entails demonstrations, public meetings, rallies movements, alternative radio or protests. Activism emanates from different causes like the violation of the women’s right or a breach of the world peace. Activism played a significant role in the establishment of…

Words 678 - Pages 3

Lincoln Bombarding The Fort Analysis

the results came in, Lincoln won less than 40 percent of the popular vote, but got 180 votes in the Electoral College. In 1861, Lincoln became president. After Lincoln won presidency, by the time he was inaugurated, South Carolina and six other Southern states seceded from the Union (Tindall 525). In South Carolina, Fort Sumter was one of the forts not yet seized by the Confederacy, so Lincoln decided to make it a symbol of his plan to keep the Union together and ordered the military to send supplies…

Words 749 - Pages 3

Dylan Roof Research Paper

The society around Dylann Roof is responsible for instilling in him racist beliefs, and encouraging his racial views by normalizing racial paraphernalia and racial terminology. In certain Southern societies, including South Carolina, the Confederate flag and other racist paraphernalia are normalized and still very common. The Confederate flag can be seen many places in the south. This type of merchandise can be found in small local stores or big box retailers like Target with their halloween costume…

Words 346 - Pages 2

Dbq Territorial Expansion Analysis

Differences in opposition and support of expansion policies were largely sectional, meaning that different areas of the United States had divergent opinions. The most prominent sectionalism occurred between northern, western, and southern states. Western and southern states believed in manifest destiny, the inevitable expansion of the country, whereas northern states did not. This increased sectionalism was a direct repercussion of the clashes between different regions of the United States over…

Words 967 - Pages 4

Richard B Russell's Oath Of Government

Senate. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 became a law, Russell urged compliance and counseled against any violence or forcible resistance.. he was the only opponent of the bill to do so. In 1956 he co-authored the “Southern Manifesto” to oppose racial desegregation, and he led southern senators in their opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In 1933 Russell was appointed to the Naval Affairs Committee, and he continued to serve when that committee and the Military Affairs Committee were reorganized…

Words 761 - Pages 4