Southern+Manifesto

= **Sothern Manifesto** = [|1] //American White citizens who are protesting racial integration. [|2] Strom Thurmond preparing the first draft of the Southern Manifesto //

The southern manifesto was first drafted in 1956 with the purpose of stopping racial integration. The first copy of the document was written by Strom Thurmond, but was finished and finalized by Richard Russel. The reason this document was created was to counter the Brown vs. Board of Education, which said that having separate schools for black and white students was unconstitutional. Southern politicians were the ones who generally opposed the Brown vs. Board of Education and favored the Southern Manifesto. Those who supported the Southern Manifesto thought that desegregation of black and white students would cause chaos and a violent uproar. The manifesto accused the Supreme Court of “clear abuse of judicial power” in the Brown vs. Board of Education case. [|3] Nineteen senators and seventy seven members of the House of Representatives signed the Southern Manifesto. There were some discrepancies within the government over this new found piece of legislation. It was said in the constitution that having mixed race schools should not affect the learning process of students. This is the same congress that provided segregated schools because of the southern manifesto. The southern manifesto is often thought as one of the most racist federal documents in history. The fact that the very same government we have today was in favor of separating black and white students and depriving them of the experience of interracial communication. “ 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 government has abused their power and immediately reversed this legislation. [|4]