In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:

159 14 Peacemaker in Birmingham The “Year of Birmingham” began inauspiciously. The importance of Birmingham ’s civil rights revolution of 1963 couldn’t be predicted as the year began. Fearing the loss of support from southern Democrats, President John F. Kennedy rebuffed appeals for a dramatic gesture to mark the centennial of Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, issued January 1, 1863. Despite his 1960 campaign pledge to address equality of opportunity with a stroke of the pen, the president who forced Khrushchev to back down during the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 flinched two months later at the expected backlash over civil rights from southern senators and governors in his own political party. Martin Luther King Jr. had led civil rights spokesmen in calling for a bold gesture from President Kennedy. In May 1962, on the eighth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision declaring segregated schools unconstitutional, King and other civil rights leaders issued a manifesto calling for a “Second Emancipation Proclamation.” The statement declared: “The time has come, Mr. President, to let those dawn-like rays of freedom, first glimpsed in 1863, fill the heavens with the noonday sunlight of complete human dignity.” But Kennedy dared not risk alienating southern voters and thereby likely losing his chance for reelection. Instead of celebrating the Emancipation Proclamation centennial, he quietly held a reception for black leaders in February 1963, on the anniversary of Lincoln’s birth. One of the southern Democrats Kennedy did not want to antagonize, George C. Wallace, took office as governor of Alabama on January 14, 1963. A#er defeating the more moderate Ryan De Graffenried in the 1962 Democratic primary, Wallace handily won the November election. As my father later stated in his Alabama Council quarterly report: “Early in December of 1962 the general mood in Alabama was calm. Governor- 160 shattered glass in birmingham elect George Wallace was making very few statements, although the statements that he made promised that his campaign speeches to prevent desegregation of the schools would be kept. Those who had hoped that Wallace would be a lile more quiet in his defiance of the Federal Government were greatly disappointed when he made headlines with his extreme remarks at his inauguration.” The vicious side of Wallace’s pledge to defy federal authority in order to maintain segregation soon became apparent. His campaign vow to “stand in the schoolhouse door” to prevent integration of the University of Alabama offered a preview. His inauguration speech dramatically began his aack on the civil rights movement. Wallace took the oath of office as governor on the front steps of the Capitol—the same spot where Jefferson Davis became president of the Confederate States of America in 1861. Wallace quoted General Robert E. Lee, invoked the Confederate heritage, and declared: “In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny . . . and I say . . . segregation today . . . segregation tomorrow . . . segregation forever.” He denounced the country’s “ungodly government”—which imposed “the heel of tyranny” over the South—and the “propaganda” of appeals for “human rights.” Wallace then aacked the Supreme Court, communism, and Harvard intellectuals, among others. He ended by repeating his campaign slogan, “Stand up for Alabama.” As we watched television news reports of Wallace’s inauguration, I could see Dad’s muscles tense. As he scowled, Mom quietly wept. I felt a chill run up my backbone. We—all of us in Alabama—would be in for a difficult time ahead. The next day, Dad told Mom during supper: “Chuck Morgan is delighted. He says Wallace’s complete defiance helps our chances of puing him in jail.” He took another bite of fish sticks, chewing vigorously. “Wish I could share his confidence.” Two days a#er Wallace’s inauguration, one hopeful sign appeared. Eleven Alabama religious leaders issued a public statement, printed in the Birmingham newspapers, appealing for law and order and common sense. Acknowledging that court decisions would soon bring about desegregation of schools and colleges, they decried defiance and stated that “inflammatory and rebellious statements can only lead to violence, discord, confusion and disgrace for our beloved state.” In the polarized atmosphere of January 1963, this public statement required immense courage. As we had seen while trying to find a church home, [3.139.86.56] Project MUSE (2024-04...

Share