Alabama Gov. George Wallace Defends “Rights of Whites”
Segregationist Governor George Wallace of Alabama angrily defended the “rights of whites” on this day, arguing that the presence of African-American students in public schools would be “disruptive.”
He issued an executive order barring African-American students from all-white public schools in Birmingham, Tuskegee, and Mobile, Alabama.
See Wallace’s famous 1963 “segregation forever” gubernatorial inauguration speech, which he delivered on January 14, 1963 (below).
Learn more about Wallace: Dan T. Carter, The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, the Origins of the New Conservatism, and the Transformation of American Politics (1995)
Watch Wallace declare “segregation forever”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcPGiGvo-uU
Visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture here