In 1965, the federal government made a rare and decisive move. It sent National Guard troops into Alabama — not by invitation, but by federal order.
) - In 1965, the federal government made a rare and decisive move. It sent National Guard troops into Alabama — not by invitation, but by federal order. President Lyndon B. Johnson federalized the Alabama National Guard to protect marchers traveling from Selma to Montgomery .
The deployment came after Alabama Governor George Wallace refused to ensure the demonstrators’ safety, despite a federal court order affirming their right to march. Barry McNeely, historian at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, said the moment laid bare the limits of state authority when challenged by the federal government. “When we think of Alabama, outside of the Selma to Montgomery March and Bloody Sunday, probably one of the most iconic things from the civil rights movement was when George Wallace stood in the schoolhouse door at the University of Alabama,” McNeely said. “That was performative. They both knew where the power lay in that situation. Wallace wanted to make a political scene, even though he didn’t have the authority to usurp the federal government.” Once the court upheld the demonstrators’ right to march, federal troops were mobilized under presidential command. The National Guard, no longer under Wallace’s control, escorted the marchers to the steps of the state capitol. “It would have been ludicrous to assume they would’ve had safe passage without that intervention,” McNeely said. The federal action was grounded in the Insurrection Act of 1807, which allows the president to deploy troops if a state obstructs the enforcement of federal law. But it was also a clear exercise of constitutional supremacy. “These are the moments when federal and state governments have to work together,” McNeely said. “And sometimes they don’t agree. But in any argument between the two, the federal government is going to win out. That’s the Supremacy Clause.”“There were long days and nights ahead on the road to Montgomery,” he said. “And the President had to consider not just his party or political allies, but how to protect people’s lives.” This wasn’t the first time a president used federal power to overrule a state. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent troops to Arkansas to enforce school integration. President John F. Kennedy placed the National Guard on standby during protests in Birmingham. “Johnson simply followed the pattern of federal power being used when state leaders refused to act,” McNeely said. Though rooted in civil rights history, McNeely says the broader takeaway is about the federal government’s reach and responsibility. “Protests and riots and demonstrations are the language of those that are not heard,” he said. “We have to be able to answer questions and explain our policy and our belief and our position. We can’t just seek to use power to squelch when people have legitimate concerns.”“The idea of the power that was wielded by Kennedy, Eisenhower and Johnson is the same power that’s being wielded by the administration today,” he said. “They all had to be good judges of how and when to use that power. And as historians, we’re watching.” The Selma deployment remains the most recent example of the federal government sending troops into a state without permission. Nearly 60 years later, it stands as a clear reminder of what the federal government can do — when it decides to act.‘There is over a foot of feces’: Estimated 100 animals found in unacceptable living conditions
National Guard Alabama Selma Wbrc Myfoxal Birmingham News Civil Rights Montgomery Governor George Wallace Lyndon Johnson
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