Massive Resistance and the Origins of the Virginia Technical College System

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Desegregation Litigation; School Desegregation; Civil Rights; United States History; Educational History; Politics of Education; Educational Legislation; Local Government; Government Role; Compliance (Legal); Resistance to Change; Community Colleges; Vocational Education; Postsecondary Education; Court Litigation; Business; Role; School Business Relationship; Industry

The 1954 rulings in the United States Supreme Court cases of "Brown v Board of Education" was a landmark event in civil rights history. As momentous as the rulings were, they were not embraced by many Southern politicians. This was especially true in Virginia where Harry F. Byrd, Sr., U. S. Senator from Virginia, embarked on a campaign to massively resist court ordered school desegregation. Over the course of the next several years, Virginia's leaders would pass laws specifically designed to undermine the "Brown" rulings. These laws, known as massive resistance would, among other things, grant the governor the power to close any school or school district attempting to comply with "Brown." The results of implementation of these laws had catastrophic results socially, economically, educationally and on Virginia's national reputation. By 1959 massive resistance laws were declared unconstitutional by both state and federal courts, allowing Virginia the chance to undo this self-inflicted damage. An unintended consequence of massive resistance was the erosion and stagnation of its manufacturing sector. To rebuild the state's workforce, technical training on a large scale was necessary. To take on this herculean task the creation of a statewide system of technical colleges was needed. In 1964, the Virginia Technical College System (VTCS) was founded. This system exists today as the Virginia Community College System (VCCS). The creation of these colleges were a direct result of Virginia's ill-conceived response to "Brown." Funding had been available for many years to support technical training, but it took the contested environment created by massive resistance to make the creation of a statewide system of technical education a reality.

As Provided

2019

EJ1234763