Tuskegee in Macon County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

"Trade With Your Friends"

The Tuskegee Boycott

— The Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail —

"Trade With Your Friends" Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

1. "Trade With Your Friends" Marker

Inscription. In 1957, local government officials in Tuskegee, Alabama sought to gerrymander the city's limits in an attempt to diminish the number of black votes in upcoming elections. Alabama state senator Sam Engelhardt sponsored Act 140, which transformed Tuskegee's boundaries into a twenty- eight-sided shape. This action disenfranchised the majority of the city's black voters in city elections. On June 25, over 3,000 black citizens met at Butler Chapel AME Zion Church in support of the Tuskegee Civic Association (TCA) and its proposed boycott of white owned businesses. Termed "trade with your friends," the boycott continued for four years until the United States Supreme Court ruled that the State of Alabama had violated the 15th Amendment (Gomillion v. Lightfoot, 364 U.S. 339 (1960)). The city's boundaries were then returned to their original positions in early 1961. The boycott proved economically devastating for white owned businesses that preferred to go out of business rather than give blacks the right to vote.

Erected 2019 by City Of Tuskegee, Tuskegee University, Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation. (Marker

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Number 9.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Government & Politics. In addition, it is included in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion (AME Zion) Church, the Historically Black Colleges and Universities, the Jewish American Society for Historic Preservation., and the Tuskegee Civil Rights and Historic Trail, Alabama series lists. A significant historical date for this entry is June 25, 1957.

Location. 32° 25.424′ N, 85° 41.477′ W. Marker is in Tuskegee, Alabama, in Macon County. It is on Westside Street south of West Northside Street, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: Westside Street, Tuskegee AL 36083, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and in the Black Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States

View of marker and some of the current businesses nearby. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

2. View of marker and some of the current businesses nearby.

of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: 119 Westside Street (a few steps from this marker); Brief History of Tuskegee, Alabama (within shouting distance of this marker); Macon County Confederate Monument (within shouting distance of this marker); Macon County Legal Milestone (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Samuel "Sammy" Leamon Younge, Jr. (about 700 feet away); Site of the Tuskegee Female College (approx. ¼ mile away); Tuskegee High School (approx. ¼ mile away); Rosa Parks (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tuskegee.

Another marker is no longer nearby. William P. Mitchell (was about 500 feet away but has been confirmed missing).

Also see . . .
1. Wikipedia article on the Gomillion v. Lightfoot Supreme Court Case. (Submitted on September 20, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
2. Macon History article shows the gerrymandering maps. (Submitted on September 20, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Marker with view towards Macon County Courthouse in distance. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

3. Marker with view towards Macon County Courthouse in distance.

Dedication program and associated map of trail. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, September 20, 2019

4. Dedication program and associated map of trail.

All thirteen new markers were dedicated on September 20th, 2019 at the Tuskegee Municipal Complex.

Please note #1 on the map, Amelia Boynton Robinson marker is actually on Franklin Road, NNW of Tuskegee University, near Boy Scout Circle.

Credits. This page was last revised on October 3, 2019. It was originally submitted on September 20, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 933 times since then and 35 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 20, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.