Student Scholarship
Document Type
Research Paper
Abstract
This project explores the establishment and functions of the Commission on Civil Rights, a fact-finding body created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957. As the first significant civil rights legislation passed by Congress in over eighty years, the Act was a product of intense political compromise between proponents seeking robust federal protections and opponents who feared federal overreach. The Commission was specifically designed to investigate allegations of voting rights deprivations based on race, religion, or national origin, to study legal developments regarding equal protection, and to appraise federal policies.
A primary focus of the document is the organization and personnel of the Commission. Led by Chairman John A. Hannah and Staff Director Gordon Tiffany, the bipartisan group included both Northern and Southern representatives to ensure a range of viewpoints and broader public acceptance. The administrative structure was divided into specialized divisions such as Legal, Survey, and Research and Planning to coordinate fieldwork and data analysis. Additionally, the Commission established state advisory committees to engage local citizens and leaders in the fact-finding process.
The effectiveness of the Commission’s investigative powers is illustrated through its first hearing in Montgomery, Alabama, in December 1958. The hearing investigated complaints that African American citizens were being denied the right to register to vote through discriminatory testing and administrative delays. When local registration officials refused to provide voting records or testify, the Commission sought federal court orders to enforce its subpoenas. Ultimately, the document characterizes the Commission as a critical "stepping stone" in the federal government's efforts to educate the public and provide the empirical evidence necessary for future legislative action to protect constitutional liberties.
Research Highlights
The Problem: The 85th Congress addressed the 80-year absence of federal civil rights legislation and the ongoing deprivation of voting rights and equal protection for citizens, specifically regarding race, color, religion, or national origin.
The Method: This project evaluates the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the establishment of the six-member bipartisan Commission on Civil Rights, and its inaugural fact-finding hearing held in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 8–9, 1958.
Quantitative Finding: The House approved the Act 286–126 and the Senate 72–18; the Commission staff consists of 67 members, including 20 clerical positions; the staff director's salary was set at a maximum of $22,500 per year; in Macon County, Alabama, Negro residents outnumber white residents six to one, yet white registration outnumbers Negro registration two to one.
Qualitative Finding: The Act represents a legislative compromise between "maximum" Southern acceptance and "minimum" civil rights support; the Commission's authority is strictly fact-finding with subpoena power but no enforcement capabilities; Alabama state officials challenged federal authority by refusing to provide registration records, claiming they were judicial officers or that records were non-public.
Finding: The Commission's effectiveness was hindered by a seven-month delay in appointments, leaving only 17 months of its statutory two-year lifespan to complete its investigations and final report due September 9, 1959.
Publication Date
1-1959
Recommended Citation
Ward, Marjorie, "The Commission on Civil Rights" (1959). Student Scholarship. 113.
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/student-research-papers/113
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
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