In 1954, Brown v. Board of Education declared segregation unconstitutional and mandated integrated schools.

Tennessee Federal District Judge, Robert Taylor, enforced the ruling on Anderson County. In 1956, Clinton High School planned to integrate white and black students at the beginning of the school year.

Anti-integration protesters, led by John Kasper, from Washington D.C, brought violence to the small town of Clinton necessitating intervention by the National Guard.

Local authorities arrested Kasper for inciting violence on August 27, the same day twelve black students entered the doors of Clinton High School. The arrest labeled him a martyr among segregationists and on the following day, riots broke out near the school.

Volunteers attempted to prevent the violence until help arrived. As many as fifty National Guard troops came to Clinton.

Residents of Clinton had mixed feelings regarding integration, however none supported the actions of the segregationists. Fear spread as rioting continued. Many parents kept their children away from the school until violence ceased.

Attackers harassed and chased black children, they even threw tomatoes at them. After two weeks, the rioting ceased and the students, referred to as the Clinton Twelve, returned to school with their white classmates.

Clinton High School remains an important reminder of the challenges faced by racial integration.

Researched and written by University of West Florida Public History student, Chloe Diehl.