On July 10, 1969, Georgia Governor Lester Maddox rejected demands from the U.S. Justice Department to integrate the state’s public schools immediately. In a televised address, Maddox stated that he would rather close all public schools in Georgia for several years than integrate them. “It would be better to do that and have free children than have slave children,” he said. The day before, the Justice Department had directed the Georgia State Board of Education to submit a school integration plan within 15 days or face legal action in U.S. District Court. “As far as I’m concerned, they can take their ultimatum and ram it in their satchels,” Maddox responded. He added that he was prepared to forgo the state’s $75 million in annual federal education funding if it allowed Georgia schools to remain segregated.
For the remainder of the year, Maddox urged other elected officials to support “freedom of choice” schooling and called for the return of federal education authority to the states. Maddox continued to oppose school integration throughout his time in office and remained a vocal advocate for racial segregation for the rest of his life. In a 2001 interview, he said, “I want my race preserved, and I hope most everybody else wants theirs preserved.” Segregationist politicians like Maddox, who were elected with strong support from white voters, resisted the civil rights movement both through official government positions and as private citizens, often employing legal, political, and at times extralegal measures against integration efforts and civil rights activists.