Fulfilling his ‘Duty’: The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
|
Created by:
|
|
Abstract: On June 11, 1963 Nicholas Katzenbach Deputy Attorney General made his way through a parted crowd to confront the Alabama state governor, George C. Wallace. Wallace stood in the doorway of Foster auditorium awaiting his opportunity to make a statement that would represent the “very heart of the Great Anglo-Saxon Southland.” [1] The moment, to be named, “The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door”, would become one of the most notorious demonstrations of opposition to school integration and a wake-up call to the nation.
The he nation turned its eye to Alabama. In the notorious moment, that would be forever bound to the narrative of Alabama state history, four-time governor George C. Wallace took his stand and the entire nation was watching. That afternoon the nation also looked to the benevolent Kennedy Administration, who now declared civil rights to be a moral issue. Later that night civil rights activist Meager Evers was shot dead, illustrating how maintaining the status quo ruled over human dignity.
Though Wallace’s act was a departure from the violence that erupted at The University of Mississippi a year earlier, Wallace’s demonstration represented the opposition to the federal government by states, an issue that had not been faced since the civil war. This tension is not only representative of the failures of the Jim Crow south, but a reiteration of racist ideology and white supremacy that cast its shadow over the “cradle of the confederacy” [2].
With outside agitators questioning the southern morals of governor Wallace and the President of The University of Alabama, Frank A. Rose; Wallace became determined to fulfill his duty and maintain his promise of “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” [3] In the statement, Wallace gave in the doorway of Foster auditorium he made sure to address the growing discontent between the federal government and state government. The staged demonstration of defiance highlights the threats of intervention and the detrimental effects it has on not only the state of Alabama, but also the American people. While Wallace believed that he was exercising his constitutional rights, he was infringing upon the rights that were denied of the two African- American students, Vivian A. Malone and James Hood who wished to enroll that day.
The narrative of “The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” often revolves around Wallace, Kennedy, and other leadership. It fails to address the experience of Vivian A. Malone and James Hood encountered as they were present for the open refusal to acknowledge their rights. While the stand may have marked the end of segregation at The University of Alabama, it was beginning of the new narrative that would be created, a narrative that included black students.
Today, historical markers are placed at the site of the stand. The markers are representative of the history and progress that have been made. Though the words have been crafted to detach the University’s reputation from Wallace’s act, it serves as an acknowledgment of the road that has been paved for African American students.
Word Count: 500 words
Endnotes:
[1] Wallace, George C. “Schoolhouse Door Speech” (speech, Tuscaloosa, AL, June 11, 1963), Emerson Kent, http://www.emersonkent.com/speeches/school_house_door_speech.htm.
[2] Wallace, George C. “The Inaugural Address of Governor George C. Wallace” (speech, Montgomery, AL, January 14, 1963), Alabama Department of Archives & History http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/2952.
[3] ibid.
Bibliography
Primary Sources Text
“Authurine Lucy Clocktower.” Hood Malone Plaza. Tuscaloosa, AL. November 3, 2010.
Kennedy, John F. “Address to the Nation”, (speech September 30, 1962), The Integration of Ole Miss Speeches & Audio, http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/ole-miss-integration/speeches/john-f-kennedy-on-desegregation-at-ole-miss?m=52af5724c3c2e&s=undefined&f=1&free=false.
“Site of the Sand in the School House Door”, Foster Auditorium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, July 13, 2004.
Wallace, George C. “Schoolhouse Door Speech” (speech, Tuscaloosa, AL, June 11, 1963), Emerson Kent, http://www.emersonkent.com/speeches/school_house_door_speech.htm
Wallace, George C. “The Inaugural Address of Governor George C. Wallace” (speech, Montgomery, AL, January 14, 1963), Alabama Department of Archives & History http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/2952.
Primary Sources Oral Histories
Interview with James Craig, by Clifford J. Bennet, University of Alabama, April 17, 2017.
Primary Sources Visual and Film Clips of News Footage
Associated Press, “Noted segregationist George Wallace of Alabama battled hard in Indiana in the Democratic primaries of 1964 and 1972, ultimately losing both” N.D., http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/Indiana-s-presidential-primaries-have-had-plenty-of-intrigue-over-the-years.
Eurweb.com, “George Wallace on His Campaign Trail, Pittsburgh, PA”, 1968, http://www.eurweb.com/2015/01/selmas-tim-roth-on-playing-monstrous-human-being-george-wallace/#.
Schoolworkerhelp.net, “George Wallace: Biography & Governor”, N.D, https://schoolworkhelper.net/george-wallace-biography-governor/.
Daily stormer.com, “The Daily Traditionalist: We Have the Power”, N.D., http://www.dailystormer.com/the-daily-traditionalist-we-have-the-power/.
MPI/Getty Images, “Show Notes: Alabama Governor George Wallace”,1963, http://www.missedinhistory.com/blogs/show-notes-alabama-governor-george-wallace.htm.
“President Urges Wallace To Shun Alabama Campus." New York Times, June 11, 1963.
LDF, “Vivian Malone and James Hood,” photograph, 1963, http://www.naacpldf.org/news/fifty-years-ago-stand-schoolhouse-door
Unknown, “The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door,” photograph, 1963, http://www.teachingforchange.org/teacher-resources/civil-rights-teaching/1963-teaching.
Daily Mail, “First and Final News Conferene,” photograph, 1963, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2340110/America-remembers-50-years-Alabama-governor-stopped-black-students-entering-university-event-led-end-school-segregation-South.html.
Word Press, “The Stand,” photograph, 1963, https://sixdegreesofmillicent.wordpress.com/tag/stand-in-the-school-house-door/.
Jack Delano, “A bus station in Durham, North Carolina,” photograph, 1940, http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newcentury/5103.
Bettman/Corbis, “First Day,” photograph, 1954, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/weekinreview/10liptak.html.
The he nation turned its eye to Alabama. In the notorious moment, that would be forever bound to the narrative of Alabama state history, four-time governor George C. Wallace took his stand and the entire nation was watching. That afternoon the nation also looked to the benevolent Kennedy Administration, who now declared civil rights to be a moral issue. Later that night civil rights activist Meager Evers was shot dead, illustrating how maintaining the status quo ruled over human dignity.
Though Wallace’s act was a departure from the violence that erupted at The University of Mississippi a year earlier, Wallace’s demonstration represented the opposition to the federal government by states, an issue that had not been faced since the civil war. This tension is not only representative of the failures of the Jim Crow south, but a reiteration of racist ideology and white supremacy that cast its shadow over the “cradle of the confederacy” [2].
With outside agitators questioning the southern morals of governor Wallace and the President of The University of Alabama, Frank A. Rose; Wallace became determined to fulfill his duty and maintain his promise of “segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever.” [3] In the statement, Wallace gave in the doorway of Foster auditorium he made sure to address the growing discontent between the federal government and state government. The staged demonstration of defiance highlights the threats of intervention and the detrimental effects it has on not only the state of Alabama, but also the American people. While Wallace believed that he was exercising his constitutional rights, he was infringing upon the rights that were denied of the two African- American students, Vivian A. Malone and James Hood who wished to enroll that day.
The narrative of “The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” often revolves around Wallace, Kennedy, and other leadership. It fails to address the experience of Vivian A. Malone and James Hood encountered as they were present for the open refusal to acknowledge their rights. While the stand may have marked the end of segregation at The University of Alabama, it was beginning of the new narrative that would be created, a narrative that included black students.
Today, historical markers are placed at the site of the stand. The markers are representative of the history and progress that have been made. Though the words have been crafted to detach the University’s reputation from Wallace’s act, it serves as an acknowledgment of the road that has been paved for African American students.
Word Count: 500 words
Endnotes:
[1] Wallace, George C. “Schoolhouse Door Speech” (speech, Tuscaloosa, AL, June 11, 1963), Emerson Kent, http://www.emersonkent.com/speeches/school_house_door_speech.htm.
[2] Wallace, George C. “The Inaugural Address of Governor George C. Wallace” (speech, Montgomery, AL, January 14, 1963), Alabama Department of Archives & History http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/2952.
[3] ibid.
Bibliography
Primary Sources Text
“Authurine Lucy Clocktower.” Hood Malone Plaza. Tuscaloosa, AL. November 3, 2010.
Kennedy, John F. “Address to the Nation”, (speech September 30, 1962), The Integration of Ole Miss Speeches & Audio, http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/ole-miss-integration/speeches/john-f-kennedy-on-desegregation-at-ole-miss?m=52af5724c3c2e&s=undefined&f=1&free=false.
“Site of the Sand in the School House Door”, Foster Auditorium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, July 13, 2004.
Wallace, George C. “Schoolhouse Door Speech” (speech, Tuscaloosa, AL, June 11, 1963), Emerson Kent, http://www.emersonkent.com/speeches/school_house_door_speech.htm
Wallace, George C. “The Inaugural Address of Governor George C. Wallace” (speech, Montgomery, AL, January 14, 1963), Alabama Department of Archives & History http://digital.archives.alabama.gov/cdm/ref/collection/voices/id/2952.
Primary Sources Oral Histories
Interview with James Craig, by Clifford J. Bennet, University of Alabama, April 17, 2017.
Primary Sources Visual and Film Clips of News Footage
Associated Press, “Noted segregationist George Wallace of Alabama battled hard in Indiana in the Democratic primaries of 1964 and 1972, ultimately losing both” N.D., http://www.news-sentinel.com/news/local/Indiana-s-presidential-primaries-have-had-plenty-of-intrigue-over-the-years.
Eurweb.com, “George Wallace on His Campaign Trail, Pittsburgh, PA”, 1968, http://www.eurweb.com/2015/01/selmas-tim-roth-on-playing-monstrous-human-being-george-wallace/#.
Schoolworkerhelp.net, “George Wallace: Biography & Governor”, N.D, https://schoolworkhelper.net/george-wallace-biography-governor/.
Daily stormer.com, “The Daily Traditionalist: We Have the Power”, N.D., http://www.dailystormer.com/the-daily-traditionalist-we-have-the-power/.
MPI/Getty Images, “Show Notes: Alabama Governor George Wallace”,1963, http://www.missedinhistory.com/blogs/show-notes-alabama-governor-george-wallace.htm.
“President Urges Wallace To Shun Alabama Campus." New York Times, June 11, 1963.
LDF, “Vivian Malone and James Hood,” photograph, 1963, http://www.naacpldf.org/news/fifty-years-ago-stand-schoolhouse-door
Unknown, “The Stand in the Schoolhouse Door,” photograph, 1963, http://www.teachingforchange.org/teacher-resources/civil-rights-teaching/1963-teaching.
Daily Mail, “First and Final News Conferene,” photograph, 1963, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2340110/America-remembers-50-years-Alabama-governor-stopped-black-students-entering-university-event-led-end-school-segregation-South.html.
Word Press, “The Stand,” photograph, 1963, https://sixdegreesofmillicent.wordpress.com/tag/stand-in-the-school-house-door/.
Jack Delano, “A bus station in Durham, North Carolina,” photograph, 1940, http://www.learnnc.org/lp/editions/nchist-newcentury/5103.
Bettman/Corbis, “First Day,” photograph, 1954, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/weekinreview/10liptak.html.
