Struggle & Resistance Achievement & Excellence

March 1956

On March 12, 1956, 101 U.S. senators and representatives from the South sign the 'Declaration of Constitutional Principles,' known as the Southern Manifesto, pledging to use 'all lawful means' to reverse Brown v. Board of Education. Signatories include 19 senators and 82 representatives. The document calls Brown 'a clear abuse of judicial power' and commends 'the motives of those states which have declared the intention to resist.' It provides political cover and encouragement for massive resistance to desegregation.

Events

March 12, 1956
Southern Manifesto: 101 Congress Members Pledge to Resist Desegregation
On March 12, 1956, 101 U.S. senators and representatives from the South sign the 'Declaration of Constitutional Principles,' known as the Southern Manifesto, pledging to use 'all lawful means' to reverse Brown v. Board of Education. Signatories include 19 senators and 82 representatives. The document calls Brown 'a clear abuse of judicial power' and commends 'the motives of those states which have declared the intention to resist.' It provides political cover and encouragement for massive resistance to desegregation.
March 29, 1956
Mississippi Creates State Spy Agency to Suppress Civil Rights Movement
On March 29, 1956, Mississippi Governor James Coleman signs legislation creating the State Sovereignty Commission — a state spy agency with a budget to investigate, monitor, and sabotage civil rights organizations. The Commission pays informants in Black communities, provides information to the Klan, compiles dossiers on civil rights workers, and coordinates with the Citizens Council. It operates until 1977. Records sealed until 1998 reveal the Commission helped identify civil rights workers for violence, including possible involvement in the 1964 Mississippi Burning murders.