Educational separation in the US prior to Brown Map

The Declaration of Constitutional Principles (known informally as the Southern Manifesto) was a document written in February and March 1956, during the

84th United States Congress The 84th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from January 3, 1955 ...

, in opposition to racial integration of public places. The manifesto was signed by 19 US Senators and 82 Representatives from the

Southern United States The Southern United States (sometimes Dixie, also referred to as the Southern States, the American South, the Southland, Dixieland, or simply the South) is List of regions of the United States, census regions defined by the United States Cens ...

. The signatories included the entire congressional delegations from

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Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

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Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

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, and

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, most of the members from

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and

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, and several members from

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and

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

. All of them were from the former Confederate states. 97 were Democrats; 4 were Republicans. The Manifesto was drafted to support reversing the landmark Supreme Court 1954 ruling '' Brown v. Board of Education'', which determined that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. School segregation laws were some of the most enduring and best-known of the Jim Crow laws that characterized the South at the time. " Massive resistance" to federal court orders requiring school integration was already being practiced across the South, and was not caused by the Manifesto. Senator J. William Fulbright of Arkansas had worked behind the scenes to tone down the original harsh draft. The final version did not pledge to nullify the ''Brown'' decision, nor did it support extralegal resistance to desegregation. Instead, it was mostly a

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attack against the judicial branch for overstepping its role. The Southern Manifesto accused the Supreme Court of "clear abuse of judicial power" and 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." It suggested that the Tenth Amendment should limit the reach of the Supreme Court on such issues. Senators in the Southern Caucus led the opposition, with Strom Thurmond writing the initial draft and Richard Russell the final version. Three Democratic senators from the former Confederate states (all of whom had presidential ambitions) did not sign: * Al Gore Sr. and Estes Kefauver of Tennessee * Senate Majority Leader

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of Texas The following Democratic representatives from the former Confederate states also did not sign: * 16 of 21 Democrats from Texas, including Speaker of the House Sam Rayburn and future Speaker Jim Wright * 1 of 7 Democrats from Tennessee * 3 of 11 Democrats from North Carolina * 1 of 7 Democrats from Florida ( Dante Fascell) Also, none of the 12 U.S. senators or 39 U.S. House representatives from the states of

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, and

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signed the Manifesto despite all requiring segregation in their public school systems prior to the ''Brown v. Board'' decision. There were seven Republican representatives and three senators from former Confederate states. Only four signed the Manifesto: Charles Jonas of North Carolina, William Cramer of Florida, Joel Broyhill and Richard Poff of Virginia.

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 unwarranted exercise of power by the Court, contrary to the Constitution, is creating chaos and confusion in the States principally affected. It is destroying the amicable relations between the white and Negro races that have been created through 90 years of patient effort by the good people of both races. It has planted hatred and suspicion where there has been heretofore friendship and understanding."

Signatories and non-signatories

In many southern States, signing was much more common than not signing, with signatories including the entire delegations from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, and Virginia. Those from southern states who refused to sign are noted below.

United States Senate (in state order)

United States House of Representatives

References

External links

Manifesto text and signers from the Congressional Record

102 Congressional Record (Bound) - Volume 102, Part 4 (March 12, 1956)
'' Congressional Record'' Senate March 12 statement pp. 4459–4461
Southern Congressmen Present Segregation Manifesto
An article from CQ Almanac 1956 which includes the Representatives that signed on after the Manifesto was read into the Congressional Record. 1956 in American law School segregation in the United States Strom Thurmond Legal history of the United States American political manifestos History of racial segregation in the United States 1956 in American politics 1956 in the United States 1956 documents Civil rights movement White supremacy in the United States