Mansfield School Desegregation Incident
Encyclopedia
The Mansfield School Desegregation Incident is a 1956 event in the African-American Civil Rights Movement
in the United States
.
In 1956, the Mansfield Independent School District
was segregated and sent its black children to separate, run down facilities. This went on for many years until three students brought a suit with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
. As a result of the federal court case, the school district was ordered to desegregate. The school board approved the measure and allowed Mansfield High School
to desegregate. The mayor and police chief of the city did not approve of this measure though. When school started on August 30 of 1956, they joined over 300 whites in front of Mansfield High School. Their goal was to prevent the enrollment of the three black students. The town turned into complete turmoil as 3 blacks were hanged in effigy as part of the demonstration.
Texas Governor Allan Shivers
supported the protests, and even dispatched Texas Rangers to prevent integration. He then authorized the Mansfield Independent School District
to send its black students to Fort Worth, Texas
. By doing this the school district had effectively ignored a federal court order for integration.
After the transfer of the black students to Fort Worth, the demonstrations soon ended and order was restored. It was this success that in 1957 inspired Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus
to attempted a similar ordeal in Little Rock, Arkansas
. Later that year, Texas passed more segregation laws that delayed integration even further. Facing the lack of federal funds, The Mansfield Independent School District
quietly desegregated in 1965. The District was the last public school system to integrate in the United States of America.
African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
The African-American Civil Rights Movement refers to the movements in the United States aimed at outlawing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring voting rights to them. This article covers the phase of the movement between 1955 and 1968, particularly in the South...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
In 1956, the Mansfield Independent School District
Mansfield Independent School District
Mansfield Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Mansfield, Texas, United States.MISD serves Mansfield and portions of the cities of Grand Prairie, Arlington, and Burleson. The district also extends into northeastern Johnson County....
was segregated and sent its black children to separate, run down facilities. This went on for many years until three students brought a suit with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
. As a result of the federal court case, the school district was ordered to desegregate. The school board approved the measure and allowed Mansfield High School
Mansfield High School (Mansfield, Texas)
Mansfield High School is a public secondary school located at 3001 East Broad Street in Mansfield, Texas, United States. Part of the Mansfield Independent School District, the school serves portions of Mansfield and Arlington.- Basic operation :...
to desegregate. The mayor and police chief of the city did not approve of this measure though. When school started on August 30 of 1956, they joined over 300 whites in front of Mansfield High School. Their goal was to prevent the enrollment of the three black students. The town turned into complete turmoil as 3 blacks were hanged in effigy as part of the demonstration.
Texas Governor Allan Shivers
Allan Shivers
Robert Allan Shivers was a Texas politician who led the conservative faction of the Texas Democratic Party during the turbulent 1940s and 1950s...
supported the protests, and even dispatched Texas Rangers to prevent integration. He then authorized the Mansfield Independent School District
Mansfield Independent School District
Mansfield Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Mansfield, Texas, United States.MISD serves Mansfield and portions of the cities of Grand Prairie, Arlington, and Burleson. The district also extends into northeastern Johnson County....
to send its black students to Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
. By doing this the school district had effectively ignored a federal court order for integration.
After the transfer of the black students to Fort Worth, the demonstrations soon ended and order was restored. It was this success that in 1957 inspired Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus
Orval Faubus
Orval Eugene Faubus was the 36th Governor of Arkansas, serving from 1955 to 1967. He is best known for his 1957 stand against the desegregation of Little Rock public schools during the Little Rock Crisis, in which he defied a unanimous decision of the United States Supreme Court by ordering the...
to attempted a similar ordeal in Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. Later that year, Texas passed more segregation laws that delayed integration even further. Facing the lack of federal funds, The Mansfield Independent School District
Mansfield Independent School District
Mansfield Independent School District is a school district headquartered in Mansfield, Texas, United States.MISD serves Mansfield and portions of the cities of Grand Prairie, Arlington, and Burleson. The district also extends into northeastern Johnson County....
quietly desegregated in 1965. The District was the last public school system to integrate in the United States of America.
External links
- article at the Handbook of TexasHandbook of TexasThe Handbook of Texas is a comprehensive encyclopedia of Texas geography, history, and historical persons published by the Texas State Historical Association .-History:...
Online