White Resistance to Public School Integration in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Prince Edward County Virginia

Abstract

ABSTRACTWHITE RESISTANCE TO PUBLIC SCHOOL INTEGRATION IN MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN AND PRINCE EDWARD COUNTY, VIRGINIA by Joseph Moore The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2022Under the supervision of Professor Amanda Seligman The white community demonstrated fierce resistance to the Supreme Court’s 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education. The forms of resistance to integrated public schools varied by region, state, and locality. This study aims to compare the forms of resistance to integrated public schools that took place in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Prince Edward County, Virginia between 1954-1976. I have used historical archival materials to permit comparisons between the types of resistance to integrated public schools in both locations under analysis. Virginia’s political officials played a prominent role in white resistance to integrating public schools. Milwaukee maintained segregated public schools using the neighborhood school system and intact bussing, while Prince Edward County closed its schools. This research demonstrates that while the national spotlight was on the massive resistance that took place in southern regions following the Brown decision, an equally aggressive form of resistance also occurred in northern cities like Milwaukee.