Southern Manifesto

The Southern Manifesto, issued in 1956, was a document signed by many Southern politicians in the United States in response to the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision, which declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The manifesto argued that the ruling was an overreach of judicial power and vowed to resist desegregation efforts. It reflected the South's commitment to maintaining segregation and white supremacy during the Civil Rights Movement, showcasing the deep-rooted opposition to racial integration in that era. The document highlighted the tensions between federal authority and states' rights concerning civil rights.