How did the Clinton Twelve impact the civil rights movement in Tennessee?
*On this date in 1956, the Clinton 12 broke the color barrier in K-12 education in the American South. That day, twelve young Black students walked into history in Clinton, TN. They were the first students to desegregate a state-supported high school in the south.
What happened to Clinton HS as a result of desegregation?
Racial tensions continued however and on October 5, 1958, a bomb destroyed much of Clinton High School. The school was rebuilt following a fundraising campaign led by evangelist Billy Graham, nationally syndicated columnist Drew Pearson, and local citizens. No incidents were reported after the school was rebuilt.
What was the integration of Clinton High School?
Taylor ordered Clinton High School to desegregate with “all deliberate speed” in accordance with the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. On August 27, 1956, 12 African-American students became the first to integrate a previously all-white school in Tennessee.
What happened to the Clinton 12?
Two years after Clinton High School integrated, the school was bombed and destroyed. No one was hurt, but the bomber was never found or brought to justice. Clinton High School was rebuilt. It reopened in September of 1960 and has remained integrated.
Are any of the Clinton 12 Still Alive?
Williams, who died last week at age 83, and the rest of the Clinton 12 became the first black students in the South to integrate an all-white high school on Aug. 27, 1956. Nine of the 12 remain living.
Who was the first African American in TN to graduate from a desegregated public school?
Bobby Lynn Cain
Bobby Cain became the first African American student to graduate from a public formally segregated white high school in Tennessee during the immediate controversial years of integration following the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education (1954).
Why is Clinton High School important in civil rights?
Clinton High School, Integration in Tennessee Taylor ordered the desegregation of Clinton High School in Anderson County. Intimidation tactics eventually grew into violent riots, leading Tennessee Gov. Frank G. Clement to call for the assistance of the National Guard, marking another first in the Civil Rights Movement.
When did Tennessee desegregate schools?
Under court order in 1971, public schools in Tennessee began busing black and white students to schools that were once divided by race. Unexpectedly, many new private schools were created for white children whose parents did not want their children bused.
Who was Cameron Boyce’s grandmother?
Jo Ann Crozier Allen
Cameron’s grandmother, Jo Ann Crozier Allen, was born in 1941 in Clinton, Tennessee, to her parents Herbert and Alice. Cameron’s grandmother, Jo Ann Allen, during an interview in high school.
What was the first school to desegregate in the South?
University of Texas System 1950-1956 The University of Texas was the subject of the seminal Supreme Court desegregation case of Sweatt v. Painter which resulted in the UT School of Law enrolling its first two Black students and the school of architecture enrolling its first Black student, both in August 1950.
Who were the Oak Ridge 85?
The Oak Ridge 85 were the very first black students to enter a segregated public school in the Southeastern United States as they attended Robertsville Junior High School and Oak Ridge High School in 1955. The Clinton 12 broke segregation barriers in 1956 at Clinton High School in Clinton, TN.
When did schools integrate in TN?
The Tennessee city’s school board is now formally including the story of its integration in its curriculum. They were hailed as the first Black students to integrate public schools in Tennessee, in 1955. But until recently, the brave acts of the students, known as the Oak Ridge 85, were relatively forgotten.