Collection open for research
Physical characteristics and conditions affect use of this material. Photocopying not permitted.
Loudoun Defenders of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberties Records (SC 0025), Thomas Balch Library, Leesburg, VA
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1998.0005X
Processed by Emily Hershman, 19 September 2007.
Formerly catalogued as NUCMC 31
Defenders of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberties was an organization formed to oppose integration after the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. It was established in Farmville, Virginia, and headed by Robert (R.B.) Crawford (app.1911-1973), who had been on the Prince Edward County School Board for 15 years. The Defenders stated their goals as preservation of segregation without violence or lawlessness. During a 1956 interview, Crawford claimed the Defenders had approximately 10,000 members across Virginia.
It was a powerful organization throughout the mid and late 1950s, but began to fade away during the early 1960s. The Virginia Conservative Party, formed in opposition to the Voting Rights Act of 1965, is widely believed to be an offshoot of the Defenders.
The Loudoun Defenders of State Sovereignty and Individual Liberties Records contain letters, membership cards, a Declaration of Intent, and a notebook detailing occurrences at various meetings. The collection is in overall good condition but should be handled carefully.
The first item in the collection is a carbon copy entitled "Purpose of Organization," which states that the Defenders' goals are "working for the restoration [and] enforcement of the Constitution" and "to declare null and void all rulings by members of the Supreme Court not authorized by the Constitution." The Declaration of Intent continues in the same vein, asserting that the organization will reverse the "neglect ... destroying our public school system." The next document is a letter from John W. Clemens (4 Dec 1906-1978) of Leesburg to Robert (R.B.) Crawford, which is dated June 21, 1960, and contained the 9 dollar dues necessary to remain in the organization. Also present is a letter dated May 6, 1959, from Robert (R.B.) Crawford to W.E. Turney (n.d.), thanking Turney for his dues and briefly mentioning the Perrow Commission (1959). The last item is a composition notebook containing lists of old and additional members, appointment of chapter committees, speakers who address the meetings, and contributions from members.
The carbon copies, membership card and notepad, and composition notebook are the only items in this collection.
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