(Original Caption) Governor George C. Wallace, surrounded by Alabama state troopers, arrived here to keep his promise to Alabama voters "to stand in the schoolhouse door" and prevent racial integration of the University of Alabama.
On June 11, 1963, two black students were attempting to enroll in classes at the University of Alabama but were blocked by Gov. George Wallace at the door.
Vivian Malone and James Hood were accompanied by the United States Deputy Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach along with federal marshals to the university to enroll for classes at the order of District Court Judge Harlan Grooms.
Wallace, in attempt to keep his inaugural promise of "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever," stood in front of the door to prevent the students from enrolling.
Wallace reportedly said: "The unwelcomed, unwanted, unwarranted and force-induced intrusion upon the campus of the University of Alabama ... of the might of the Central Government offers frightful example of the oppression of the rights, privileges and sovereignty of this State by officers of the Federal Government,"
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Katzenbach called on President John F. Kennedy to put the Alabama National Guard under federal authority and to remove Wallace's blockade, thus allowing Jones and Hood to officially become students at the University of Alabama.
From the Oval Office, Kennedy addressed the nation, proposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which would outlaw any form of discrimination on the basis of race, religion, gender, nationality and color.
Kennedy stated, "It ought to be possible for American consumers of any color to receive equal service in places of public accommodation, such as hotels and restaurants and theaters and retail stores, without being forced to resort to demonstrations in the street, and it ought to be possible for American citizens of any color to register to vote in a free election without interference or fear of reprisal."
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 went on to be a revolutionary law in the civil rights movement.