Letter dated March 28, 1956 from United States senator Albert Gore in response to a letter from a lawyer in Jackson, Tennessee about the 1956 "Southern Manifesto," recent highway legislation, and foreign aid. Gore explains that while it would have been easiest for him to sign the Southern Manifesto, a document opposed to integration in public places signed by over one hundred other politicians, he declined based on the possibility that it might make the racial situation worse instead of better. He also addresses the attorney's discussion of state's rights, but declares the United States Supreme Court is the highest court in the land. He also rejects the principle of "stare decisis," choosing instead to believe the Supreme Court can overturn its own precedent. Gore also mentions the Maryland Road Test and confirms that he relied on the test "during the consideration of my highway bill." He thanks the lawyer for sharing his view on foreign aid and invites his correspondent to write him again. The letter ends with a postscript asking his correspondent to share the letter with another individual. The Southern Manifesto was issued by Southern politicians partially in response to the 1954 United States Supreme Court decision Brown v. Board of Education which outlawed segregation in public schools.

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Albert Gore Sr. Senate Collection, D31, "1956 Segregation (1)", Albert Gore Sr. Research Center, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

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