Governor Vandiver's Attempt to Keep Georgia Public Schools Open
Dublin Core
Title
Governor Vandiver's Attempt to Keep Georgia Public Schools Open
Subject
Integration and Public Schools
Description
Found in the Special Collections, this is a telegram sent to Governor Vandiver by Georgia businessmen urging him to keep public schools open. Closing public schools can severely hurt the economy of Georgia, and therefore, it was in the interest of Georgia businessmen to keep the schools open.
In 1959 U.S. District Court judge Frank Hooper ruled Atlanta's segregated public school system unconstitutional and ordered it integrated. Hooper, however, delayed the implementation of the order for one year to give state authorities time to develop a desegregation plan. This decision presented a problem to state leaders who, after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, had determinedly resisted desegregation by passing measures designed to fight the integration of Georgia's schools, including a constitutional amendment forcing the governor to cut off state funding to any school that desegregated. As the governor struggled with the decision of either effectively closing the public school system or implementing the widely unpopular option of desegregation, Bell developed the idea of putting the question to Georgia's citizens, thus having them, in effect, make the decision for Vandiver.
Before the legislature had a chance to vote, however, a new crisis forced Vandiver to make a decision regarding segregation. In January 1961 a federal judge ordered that two black students, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter, be admitted to the University of Georgia. Citing state law, Vandiver issued a statement ordering the university closed. The next day, a federal judge reversed the governor's decision, creating the potential for a showdown between the state and federal governments. (The university did not actually close since Vandiver never signed the closure order and university president O. C. Aderhold never received official word from the governor's office to close the school.)
Choosing to avoid further confrontation with the federal government, Vandiver backed away from massive resistance and, in a speech before the assembly on January 18, introduced a bill that repealed laws designed to cut off funds for both the university and public schools, and that also adopted the recommendations of the Sibley Commission. The bill passed on January 31, and the Atlanta school system officially desegregated the following autumn. Although the Sibley Commission helped to prevent the violence that accompanied desegregation in other Deep South states, it also provided tactics that local school boards could use to slow down the desegregation process. As a result, serious attempts at desegregation across the state would not begin until the late 1960s.
Before the legislature had a chance to vote, however, a new crisis forced Vandiver to make a decision regarding segregation. In January 1961 a federal judge ordered that two black students, Hamilton Holmes and Charlayne Hunter, be admitted to the University of Georgia. Citing state law, Vandiver issued a statement ordering the university closed. The next day, a federal judge reversed the governor's decision, creating the potential for a showdown between the state and federal governments. (The university did not actually close since Vandiver never signed the closure order and university president O. C. Aderhold never received official word from the governor's office to close the school.)
Choosing to avoid further confrontation with the federal government, Vandiver backed away from massive resistance and, in a speech before the assembly on January 18, introduced a bill that repealed laws designed to cut off funds for both the university and public schools, and that also adopted the recommendations of the Sibley Commission. The bill passed on January 31, and the Atlanta school system officially desegregated the following autumn. Although the Sibley Commission helped to prevent the violence that accompanied desegregation in other Deep South states, it also provided tactics that local school boards could use to slow down the desegregation process. As a result, serious attempts at desegregation across the state would not begin until the late 1960s.
Creator
UGA Special Collections
Publisher
UGA Special Collections
Language
English
Still Image Item Type Metadata
Original Format
Telegram to Governor Vandiver sent by Georgia businessmen
Files
Collection
Citation
UGA Special Collections, “Governor Vandiver's Attempt to Keep Georgia Public Schools Open,” Mapping Nature ~ English 1102 Fall 2019, accessed May 3, 2024, https://mapping-nature.org/omeka2019/items/show/20.