101 Southern congressmen sign Declaration of Constitutional Principles calling Brown v. Board an unconstitutional judicial usurpation

Senator Walter George of Georgia led the drafting of the "Declaration of Constitutional Principles," signed by 19 of 22 Southern senators and 82 of 106 Southern House members on March 12, 1956. The document called Brown v. Board "a clear abuse of judicial power" that violated states' rights under the 10th Amendment, and pledged signatories to use "all lawful means" to reverse it. Only three Southern senators refused to sign: Lyndon B. Johnson of Texas, Albert Gore Sr. of Tennessee, and Estes Kefauver of Tennessee. The manifesto provided political legitimacy for Southern state governments to fund private white academies, intimidate NAACP chapters, and resist compliance through litigation.