TUSCALOOSA

Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was founded in 1816 on the site of a former village of the Creek, and was the state capital from 1826 to 1846. The city is also the home of The University of Alabama. In 1963, the University was under court order to admit an African American student named Vivian Malone. Earlier in the year George Wallace had been elected governor of the state of Alabama after taking a pro-segregation stance. During the campaign he declared, “Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!” When the federal government attempted to force the admittance of Malone, Governor Wallace sought to keep his promise of segregation. On June 11, his famous “stand in the schoolhouse door” was made at the University of Alabama. With television cameras rolling, Wallace blocked the entrance of African American students attempting to register. U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach, backed by federal officers, forced the governor to step aside and accepted his dramatic surrender. That evening President John F. Kennedy pledged to create a strong civil rights bill.

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