Virginia Massive Resistance and Little Rock and the Lost Year Tessa Dallo The Gray Commission
• Thomas B Stanley, governor of Virginia, appointed 32 state lawmakers to make a plan of response to the decision of Brown II. • They were all white, male Americans. • Their plan allowed for integra on, but its overall goal was to slow its process. • When a Washington county announced it was going to integrate its school systems, state legislators did what they could to nullify the Supreme Court’s ruling. The Stanley Plan
• When the Gray plan failed, governor Stanley created the Stanley Plan. • Stanley was concerned that if one school integrated, the surrounding schools would integrate as well because of a domino effect. • African Americans were suing school districts throughout the state because Virginia would not permit integrated public schools. Governor Stanley revised his plan in late 1956 to: • Require that if a school official assigned a black pupil to a white school, that official would be suspended. • Give the governor the authority to inves gate assignment of black pupils to white schools, and ask black students to return to their original all-black school. • Allow the closure of either a single classroom in a white school or the en re school itself, if integra on occurred. • Give the governor the authority to reassign students to new schools if a school was ordered to integrate or voluntarily integrated. • Create tui on grants to encourage black students to leave white schools. • Permit the governor to withhold state funds from any school district where segrega on had failed. Actions of the Massive Resistance
• These strict ac ons against integra on are known as the Massive Resistance. • J Lindsay Almond, an ac ve supporter of the Massive Resistance, shut down mul ple schools and locked out over 13,000 students. • Even when Almond was told his ac ons were harmful to the state and its economy, he would not reopen the schools. Actions of the Massive Resistance
• White parents who favored integra on started the Virginia Commi ee for Public Schools to help with the integra on crisis. • In January of 1959, the Virginia Supreme Court agreed that Almond closing public schools was highly uncons tu onal. • Almond repealed aspects of the Stanley Plan and created a plan of his own. The Perrow Plan
• This plan was created by the Almond Administra on and it relied on a parent’s “freedom of choice.” • The parent would decide where they want their child to go to school. • “Freedom of choice” was created to avoid compliance with integra on. • Although many people s ll advocated for Massive Resistance, the Perrow Plan became law in 1959. • But it wasn’t un l 1964 that all schools finally allowed integra on. • Prince Edward County kept its school’s doors shut for years a er the Perrow Plan became law just so they did not have to integrate. Green v. New Kent County
• It was not un l this case that “freedom of choice” was abolished. • The Supreme Count ordered the School Board of New Kent County to create a new plan towards realis cally conver ng to an integrated school system. Green v. New Kent County
• In Kent County, about half of the resident were white and half were black. • In addi on, there were only two schools: the New Kent School for white students and the George W. Watkins School for black students. • When 35 black students transferred to the previously all-white school, they were harassed and administrators did not seem to care. • New Kent changed its school system by grade level instead of race: George W. Watkins Elementary School, and New Kent High School. The Blossom Plan
• This plan allowed for a school’s superintendent to chose which African American students to integrate into previously all-white schools. • The purpose of this was to comply as li le as possible to the standards of integra on. • Although the Na onal Administra on for the Advancement of Colored People, the NAACP, sued for immediate integra on, the federal court claimed the plan was cons tu onal. The Capital Citizens’ Council
• The CCC was created in support against integra on. • They organized rallies where speakers tried to promote white supremacy and segrega on. Mother’s League of Central High School • In order to a ract feminists, the CCC created the Mother’s League of Central High School. • Only 20% of its members were actually mothers of Central High Schoolers. • The school district feared the CCC and the MLCHS because they incited violence. Central High School Incident
• On September 4, 1957 Governor Orval Faubus ordered the Arkansas Na onal Guard to surround Central High School to prevent violence. • Instead of guarding the African American students as they entered the school, the Na onal Guard was in place to prevent their entry. • 9 African American students a empted to enter the school, but they were stopped by an angry crowed of white students and parents and the Arkansas Na onal Guard. The Little Rock Nine
• The Li le Rock Nine faced by both verbal and physical harassment in Central High School. • Teachers ignored these nine students and any harmful ac ons inflicted on them. • They were not allowed to par cipate in any extra curricular ac vi es either. Eisenhower’s Intervention
• A er the nine African American students made it into Central High School one day a er the Arkansas Na onal Guard was called off, an angry crowd erupted. • This event caught the a en on of Eisenhower because it challenged the authority of the federal government. • Eisenhower ordered about 1,200 troops to Li le Rock and on September 25, 1957 the nine students were escorted into Central High School by US Soldiers. • They were also escorted to each class they had by the soldiers as well. Eisenhower’s Intervention
• Eisenhower took the Arkansas Na onal Guard out of the power of the governor and into his power. • For the remainder of the students’ school year, the Na onal Guard stayed at the school to protect the Li le Rock Nine. Cooper v. Aaron
• This was a landmark decision which held that the states are bound by the Court's decisions and must enforce them even if they disagree with them. • The Supreme Court ruled that integra on must take place immediately. • In response, governor Faubus closed down all of the high schools in Li le Rock and they remained closed for the year. Act 115 and Act 110
• Act 115 banned NAACP members from being employed by the state of Arkansas. • Act 110 required state employees to state if they were a member of the NAACP • They were created to in midate the NAACP. Other Protests and Actions
• Public facili es and transport were also integrated in the 50s and 60s: • Montgomery Bus Boyco • Freedom Rides • These led to the crea on of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. • Vo ng Rights were also focused on: • Freedom Summer • Other various organized campaigns • These led to the Vo ng Rights Act of 1965. Cited Sources
• Eisenhower Address on Li le Rock Integra on Problem . Perf. Dwight D. Eisenhower. 1957. News Broadcast. YouTube. Taylor F., 2 Jan. 2013. Web. 3 May 2017.