Which policy adopted in 1956 by Virginia aimed to block desegregation?

• A. Massive Retreat
• B. Massive Resistance
• C. Passive Resistance
• D. Blackmail

Answer: (B)

Massive Resistance was Virginia’s policy designed to block desegregation after Brown v. Board of Education. It was an organized political plan, pushed around 1956, to keep public schools segregated by legal and financial means rather than complying with integration orders. The approach included laws and measures like the Stanley Plan that allowed the state to close public schools that tried to desegregate, while directing funds to private, mostly white, segregation academies. It also involved pupil assignment schemes intended to preserve racial separation in schooling. This wasn't a passive stance by individuals; it was an official state strategy to resist integration, reflecting the strong opposition to desegregation in Virginia at the time. Over time, the plan faced legal challenges and real-world pushback, and it ultimately could not sustain the effort to block desegregation.