URJ-UCCS: Undergraduate Research Journal at UCCS

Vol. 2 No. 1: History Senior Thesis
Articles

Virginia's "Massive Folly": Harry Byrd, Prince Edward County and the Front Line

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  • Laura Grant
Laura Grant
Unversity of Colorado at Colorado Springs
Bio

Published 2009-06-01

How to Cite

Grant, L. (2009). Virginia’s "Massive Folly": Harry Byrd, Prince Edward County and the Front Line. URJ-UCCS: Undergraduate Research Journal at UCCS, 2(1), 145–160. Retrieved from https://urj.uccs.edu/index.php/urj/article/view/47
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Abstract

This paper examines the closure of public schools in Prince Edward County, Virginia from 1959-1964 in an effort to avoid desegregation. Specifically, the paper traces the roots of the political actions which led to the closure and then-Governor Harry Byrd's role in Virginia's political machine at the time. The paper argues that it was Byrd's influence which led to the conditions that not only made the closure possible in Virginia, but encouraged the white citizens of Prince Edward County to make their stand.
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