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Brown v. Board of Education: Virginia Responds
An Exhibition at the Library of Virginia
Originally Displayed December 2003—June 2004.
 
Virginians Respond to the Decision and Aftermath:  A Collection of Library of Virginia Documents

The Brown decision and Virginia's implementation of Massive Resistance prompted many individual citizens and organizations to send letters and petitions to elected officials. Responses ranged from enthusiastic approval to bitter opposition. Below are a selection of these materials from the Library's archives as well as some documents from state government officials. The documents are arranged by region of the state. You can click on the links or simply scroll down the webpage. To read the document, please click on the image to the left.

[ Southwest  |  Central Piedmont, Valley & Blue Ridge  |  Southside  |  Tidewater  | 
Northern Virginia  |  Richmond  |  Other States  |  Miscellaneous ]

Southwest
Roanoke Tribune Headline Headline from Roanoke Tribune, May 22, 1954, Library of Virginia
Mourning card from Warren Spitler to Governor James Lindsay Almond "Virginians are presently under the heel of the N.A.A.C.P. and the U.S. Supreme Court." Mourning card from Warren Spitler Covington to Governor James Lindsay Almond. ca. 1959. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
Central Piedmont, Valley & Blue Ridge
Letter from Eliza E. Fitch to Gov. Thomas B. Stanley Letter from Eliza E. Fitch, Charlottesville, to Governor Thomas B. Stanley, Richmond. June 26, 1955. Office of the Governor, Thomas B. Stanley Papers. Stanley’s adamant stand against integration prompted Eliza E. Fitch to write her first letter to a governor. She wrote that "I have always been proud of Virginia, thinking of us as one enlightened Southern state not to be put in a class with Mississippi." She shrewdly noted that "In the army where desegregation was put into effect we are told the trouble predicted by one and all simply never developed."
Please do not sell us down the river. "Please do not sell us down the river." Telegram from L. S. Key, Charlottesville, to Governor James Lindsay Almond. April 21, 1961. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
Letter from John G. Bowman to Gov. James Lindsay Almond "Segregation, racial or class, is out-moded." Letter from John G. Bowman, Front Royal, to Governor James Lindsay Almond, Richmond.  April 4, 1959. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
We must have public schools… " … We must have public schools … "Letter from Frank Nesbitt, Front Royal, to Governor James Lindsay Almond. September 8, 1958. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
Letter from Ainslee B. Dohme and Alvin R. L. Dohmeto Maurice Bowen "It is high time we thought of normalcy and routine for our young."Letter from Ainslee B. Dohme and Alvin R. L. Dohme, Front Royal, to Maurice Bowen, Front Royal. February 26, 1959. Warren County Board of Supervisors, Petitions and Letters For and Against Public School Integration, February–March 1959, acc. 39570.
Are we ready to sign the death warrant on Virginia’s and Warren County’s future …? "Are we ready to sign the death warrant on Virginia’s and Warren County’s future …?" Letter from Elizabeth v. Weber, Front Royal, to Maurice Bowen, Front Royal. February 26, 1959. Warren County Board of Supervisors, Petitions and Letters For and Against Public School Integration, February–March 1959, acc. 39570.
Petition from students at Lane High School Petition from students at Lane High School, Charlottesville, to reopen. September 1958. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers. Governor Almond closed Lane High School and Venable Elementary School in Charlottesville in September 1958. They both reopened early in February 1959.
Brochure for Charlottesville Educational Foundation Brochure for Charlottesville Educational Foundation. 1958. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
Southside
Telegram from M. R. Lee to Governor Thomas B. Stanley Telegram from M. R. Lee, Courtland, to Governor Thomas B. Stanley, Richmond. May 25, 1954. Office of the Governor, Thomas B. Stanley Papers. In his telegram to Governor Stanley, M. R. Lee summed up what many white Southerners thought about the U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Petition from the citizens of Halifax County. Petition from the citizens of Halifax County. 1955. Virginia Senate Office of the Clerk, Correspondence of Clerk Ben D. Lacy.
Petition from Kenbridge Ruritan Club against Section 129 Petition from Kenbridge Ruritan Club against Section 129. 195-. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers. In their petition, members for the Kenbridge Ruritan Club asked for repeal or change of Section 129 of the Virginia Constitution, which allowed closure of any integrated school.
Petition from Blackstone Petition from Blackstone. 1959. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers. Virginians had long petitioned the governor and General Assembly for redress, and opponents to desegregate were particularly active in sending petitions to the state government to register their views.
… to secure for all youths and adults … an education. " … to secure for all youths and adults … an education."Telegram from Virginia Congress of Colored Parents and Teachers, Petersburg, to Governor James Lindsay Almond, Richmond. November 22, 1958. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
Tidewater
Peninsula Citizens invitation to hear Henry Garnett speak on the Supreme Court vs. The Constitution "The Peninsula Citizens’ Council invites you to hear Hon. Henry D. Garnett … Speak on The Supreme Court vs. The Constitution" and Brochure for Defenders of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberties. 1955 and 1954. Office of the Governor, Thomas B. Stanley Papers.
Letter to Gov. Lindsay in regards to the closing of the public schools. "The closing of those public schools was a direct blow to the Commonwealth … " Letter from Baptist Ministers’ Conference of Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Vicinity, to Governor James Lindsay Almond, Richmond. January 19, 1960. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
Petition from Norfolk City Council to reopen schools Petition from Norfolk City Council to reopen schools. September 30,  195-. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers. In this petition, the Norfolk City Council argued that because white schools were closed to avoid desegregation but that black schools remained open, the commonwealth should reopen all the schools under the direction of the commonwealth, not the local authority, as allowed by state law.
Northern Virginia
Letter from Carl E. Auvil, Falls Church, to Governor Thomas B. Stanley, Richmond. Letter from Carl E. Auvil, Falls Church, to Governor Thomas B. Stanley, Richmond. November 15, 1954. Office of the Governor, Thomas B. Stanley Papers. Certainly not all Virginians were against desegregation. Carl Auvil wrote that "Both the principles of Christianity and the law of our land point toward elimination of racial segregation."
the denial of local option. "… the denial of local option." Letter from Joyce Walther, Alexandria, to Governor James Lindsay Almond, Richmond. June 2, 1958. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
Richmond
Resolution against the Fourteenth Amendment Resolution against the Fourteenth Amendment. Lee-Jackson Camp, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Richmond, to Governor James Lindsay Almond, Richmond. January 31, 1958. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
Letter from Robert Leon Bacon to Governor Thomas B. Stanley Letter from Robert Leon Bacon, Richmond, to Governor Thomas B. Stanley, Richmond.  December 2, 1955. Office of the Governor, Thomas B. Stanley Papers. In his letter to Governor Stanley, Robert Leon Bacon described the restrictions that segregation placed on his life. He wrote that "Virginia is the mother of presidents but it is not the home of democracy."
Other States
"Depriving any person of an education when facilities are available is a disgrace to a so-called democratic people." "Depriving any person of an education when facilities are available is a disgrace to a so-called democratic people." Letter from International Longshoremen’s and Warehousemen’s Union Federated Auxiliaries, Oregon, to Governor James Lindsay Almond, Richmond.  June 23, 1961. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
"Keep segregation at all cost. We are with you." "Keep segregation at all cost. We are with you." Telegram from Cuyahoga (Ohio) Civic Federation to Governor James Lindsay Almond, Richmond. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
Miscellaneous
The Doctrine of Interposition. The Doctrine of Interposition. Its History and Application. A Report on Senate Joint Resolution 3, General Assembly of Virginia 1956 and related matters. Committee for Courts of Justice and Senate of Virginia. Richmond: Division of Purchase and Printing, 1957.
"Pilgrimage of Prayer for Public Schools." "Pilgrimage of Prayer for Public Schools." January 1, 1959. Office of the Governor, J. Lindsay Almond Papers.
Letter from an unknown correspondent to Governor Thomas B. Stanley Letter from an unknown correspondent to Governor Thomas B. Stanley, Richmond. Undated. Office of the Governor, Thomas B. Stanley Papers. Virginia’s African Americans were angry with Governor Stanley’s anti-integration position. In a strongly worded letter, the unknown author wrote that "You Governors should be a model for so many other ignorant souls … you can’t be much of a leader from any stand point."