Governor George Wallace stages ‘Stand in the Schoolhouse Door’ to block racial integration of University of Alabama 60 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Jun 11 1963)

1960s, African-American Civil Rights, U.S. Presidents


Video: 'A Confrontation for Integration at the University of Alabama'

(Tuesday, June 11, 1963, 10:48 a.m. CST; during the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door, part of the Civil Rights movement) — Governor George C. Wallace stood in the door at Foster Auditorium at the University of Alabama today in an attempt to block James Hood and Vivian Malone from enrolling as the first African American students at the University.


Video: 'George Wallace Stand in the Schoolhouse Door University Of Alabama 1963 HD Footage'

Assistant U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach approached Wallace and cited the U.S. District Court order of June 5, requiring that the students be allowed to register.

In response, President John F. Kennedy issued Executive Order 11111, which federalized the Alabama National Guard, and Guard General Henry V. Graham then commanded Wallace to step aside.


Video: 'George Wallace Tries to Stop the Integration of U of Alabama'

Wallace spoke further but eventually moved, and Malone and Hood completed their registration.

The incident brought Wallace into the national spotlight.