Ministers' Manifesto facts for kids

The Ministers' Manifesto was a series of important statements written by religious leaders in Atlanta, Georgia, during the 1950s. The first statement came out in 1957, and another followed in 1958. These manifestos were published during the Civil Rights Movement, a time when schools across the United States were starting to integrate.

Many white politicians in the Southern United States wanted to keep schools separate for different races. This was called "massive resistance". However, 80 religious leaders signed the first manifesto, which appeared in Atlanta's newspapers on November 3, 1957. They suggested important ideas for discussing school integration. These ideas included keeping public schools open, encouraging talks between white and African American leaders, and following the law.

In October 1958, after a bombing at the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple in Atlanta, 311 religious leaders signed a second manifesto. This statement repeated the points from the first one. It also asked the governor of Georgia to create a group of citizens to help with school integration in Atlanta. The city finally began integrating its public schools in August 1961.

The New Georgia Encyclopedia called the first manifesto "the first document of its kind". It was seen as a brave, though careful, challenge to the idea of massive resistance. Many historians and leaders, like Bishop Lewis Bevel Jones III, who helped write it, agreed with this view.

Why the Manifestos Were Needed

In the Southern United States during the 1950s, many government leaders strongly supported keeping races separate. They especially did not want to see schools integrated. This would have meant African American and white American students going to the same schools.

In 1953, leaders in Georgia changed the state's constitution. This change would allow them to make public schools private if a court order forced them to integrate. The next year, the U.S. Supreme Court made a big decision in the case Brown v. Board of Education. This ruling said that school segregation in public schools was against the law. It called for schools to be integrated.

However, many Southern lawmakers continued to fight against this. In 1956, another change to Georgia's constitution prepared for the possible privatization of public schools. That same year, many Southern politicians in the U.S. government signed the Southern Manifesto. This statement declared their opposition to school integration and the Brown ruling. They planned to use "massive resistance" to stop it.

In September 1957, this resistance led to the Little Rock Crisis in Arkansas. The Arkansas Governor, Orval Faubus, ordered the Arkansas National Guard to stop nine African American students from entering Little Rock Central High School. This school had been only for white students. A crowd of white Americans also joined in. The crisis ended when U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent soldiers from the United States Army to keep order. These soldiers made sure the school was integrated.

The First Manifesto

Religious leaders in Atlanta, Georgia, worried that something like the Little Rock crisis could happen in their city. On November 3, 1957, 80 white members of the Atlanta Christian Council released a statement. This group was an ecumenical organization, meaning it included different Christian churches.

Their statement was published in both The Atlanta Constitution and The Atlanta Journal. It explained their views on school integration. The leaders listed six main ideas they believed should guide any discussion about the topic. These ideas were:

• FREEDOM of speech must at all costs be preserved.
• AS AMERICANS and as Christians we have an obligation to obey the law.
• THE PUBLIC school system must not be destroyed.
• HATRED and scorn for those of another race, or for those who hold a position different from our own, can never be justified.
• COMMUNICATION between responsible leaders of the races must be maintained.
• OUR DIFFICULTIES cannot be solved in our own strength or in human wisdom.

Methodist Pastor Lewis Bevel Jones III helped write this manifesto. Rabbi Jacob Rothschild of the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation also helped. However, he chose not to sign it because it used mostly Christian words. Still, he supported it in his own editorials published in the Constitution and the Journal. The manifesto was also printed in The New York Times. Other groups, like the Church Women United in Atlanta, shared thousands of copies of the statement.

The Second Manifesto

On October 12, 1958, the Hebrew Benevolent Congregation Temple was bombed. About three weeks later, in early November, local religious leaders released a second manifesto. It was called "'Out of Conviction': A Second Statement on the South's Racial Crisis".

This new statement was signed by 311 religious leaders. Among other things, it asked the governor of Georgia to create a group of citizens. This group would help with the eventual integration of schools in Atlanta. On March 16, 1960, Senator Jacob Javits even read parts of this second manifesto into the Congressional Record.

What Happened Next

In February 1960, a federal court ordered the city of Atlanta to desegregate its schools. In response, Georgia Governor Ernest Vandiver created the General Assembly Committee on Schools. This group was also known as the Sibley Commission, named after its chairman, John Sibley. The commission held meetings and gathered opinions from people across the state about school integration.

The commission's main report suggested a "local option". This meant that local communities could choose to either close their schools or accept a small amount of integration. After this report, the General Assembly passed a law allowing this local option. Atlanta later used this policy when it began to desegregate its schools in August 1961.

Even though only nine African American students enrolled in previously all-white schools, Atlanta's way of handling integration was praised. News magazines like Good Housekeeping, Life, Look, and Newsweek wrote positive stories. The New York Times also praised the city. President John F. Kennedy even recognized Atlanta's efforts in a press conference.

Lasting Impact

The first manifesto was very important. The New Georgia Encyclopedia called it "the first document of its kind". It was a brave, though careful, challenge to the idea of "massive resistance" from a respected Southern religious group.

In 2007, Bishop Jones, who had helped write the first manifesto, was interviewed on NPR's Morning Edition. This was for the 50th anniversary of the first manifesto. He was interviewed with Joseph Lowery, another pastor and civil rights leader. Jones praised the courage of the ministers who signed the statements. He said that while the manifesto's ideas were "mild and extremely cautious", it was a groundbreaking statement for its time.

Jones also said that the manifesto helped Atlanta deal with the difficult situation of school integration. He believed that more work from religious leaders was needed to continue integrating schools. He felt that the 80 people who signed the manifesto "were more courageous than white ministers generally are today". Jones, one of the last living signers, passed away in 2018.

In a 2011 book, historian Rebecca Burns noted that some parts of the manifesto might seem old-fashioned or even wrong today. However, she still called it "a bold step for Southern religious leaders" in fighting against segregation.

In 2016, many religious leaders in Atlanta created the Atlanta Interfaith Manifesto. This new statement aimed to "denounce religious bigotry and call for interfaith cooperation". Supporters, including Rabbi Peter S. Berg, compared this new manifesto to the 1957 document. They saw it as part of a continuing effort by religious leaders in the city to stand against unfair treatment based on race and religion.