Site of the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
Item
Title
Site of the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
Transcription
Foster Auditorium is the site of the June 11, 1963,
“stand in the schoolhouse door”
by Governor George C. Wallace in defiance of a court order requiring The University of Alabama to admit African-American students Vivian Malone and James Hood. President John F. Kennedy placed the Alabama National Guard under federal control to enforce the court order as Wallace refused to obey. Wallace then stepped aside and the students registered for class. That night, President Kennedy went on television to declare civil rights no longer simply a legal issue but a moral issue and appealed to the nation’s sense of fairness. One week later, he submitted a comprehensive civil rights bill that became the foundation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
July 13, 2004
“stand in the schoolhouse door”
by Governor George C. Wallace in defiance of a court order requiring The University of Alabama to admit African-American students Vivian Malone and James Hood. President John F. Kennedy placed the Alabama National Guard under federal control to enforce the court order as Wallace refused to obey. Wallace then stepped aside and the students registered for class. That night, President Kennedy went on television to declare civil rights no longer simply a legal issue but a moral issue and appealed to the nation’s sense of fairness. One week later, he submitted a comprehensive civil rights bill that became the foundation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
July 13, 2004
Sponsors
Placed by The University of Alabama
Date Placed
2004
Specific placement information
Affixed to building at entrance (north side, top plaque)
Coordinates
33.208050, -87.544017
