Series IX: Segregation correspondence, 1940-1957

Extent:

Extent: 12.15 cu. ft. (28 boxes)

Scope and content:

Series IX contains constituent correspondence sent to Gov. Thomas B. Stanley pertaining to Brown vs. Board of Education and the desegregation of Virginia's public schools. Letters advocating to maintain segregation comprise a vast majority of the series, with some letters supporting integregation spread throughout the series. Most constituents favor Massive Resistance, citing religion, taxation, states' rights, public safety, the threat of disease, eugenics, communism, and "racial purity." Correspondence includes letters, newspaper clippings, pamphlets, political cartoons, postcards, and telegrams. Petitions and resolutions from Virginia localities, organizations, boards, clubs, and associations are also present. There is correspondence from notable individuals, such as Oliver W. Hill, Harry Byrd Sr., Harry Byrd Jr., Garland Gray, Edward Breeden, Benjamin Muse, George Cochran, A. Willis Robertson, and E. R. Combs. Most correspondence comes from constituents around Virginia, including but not limited to Alexandria, Bedford, Charlottesville, Danville, Harrisonburg, Lynchburg, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Richmond, Roanoke, and Wytheville. There are also incoming letters from individuals outside Virginia, including but not limited to Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Illionis, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, North Carolina, New York, Tennessee, and Texas. There are also a handful of international letters. In addition to letters, there are drafts of a few of Gov. Stanley's speeches on segregation, as well as correspondence from other Southern governors and resolutions from other Southern legislatures.

Arrangement:

Arranged into nine subseries: 1. General segregation correspondence, 2. Little Rock, Arkansas situation, 3. Petitions and commissions, 4. Withholding plan, 5. Governor's speeches, 6. J. Barrye Wall, 7. Integration correspondence, 8. Interposition correspondence, and 9. Resolutions.

Correspondence within each subseries is arranged chronologically. The subseries titles come from the original order of the correspondence, likely categories Gov. Stanley's staff assigned to each incoming letter.

Access and use

Contents