Peaceful Expression

The marchers filed through the circular driveway and onto the grounds in front of the statehouse in Columbia, S.C. They carried signs reading DOWN WITH SEGREGATION and I AM PROUD TO BE A NEGRO. Everything seemed orderly enough, but City Manager Irving McNayr spotted some "possible troublemakers," ordered Columbia's cops to send the Negro demonstrators home. When the Negroes refused, 187 were arrested, charged and convicted of "breach of the peace," handed jail sentences of up to 30 days or fines of up to $100.

That happened in 1961. Last week, in an 8-to-1 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the convictions. The majority opinion, written by Justice Potter Stewart, argued that "the 14th Amendment does not permit a state to make criminal the peaceful expression of unpopular views."

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