Believing strongly in the democratic process as these groups
did, this attack was mounted within the framework of the legal
system. The N.A.A.C.P. came to be the cutting edge of the
campaign. In particular, the Legal Defense Fund of the N.A.A.C.P.
and the small group of intelligent, dedicated Negro lawyers whom
it financed, spearheaded the attack. It was clear that the legal
system itself supported the position of Southern racists. Most
Afro-Americans in the South could not vote, and Southern senators
were in a position to sabotage any attempt to change the system
through the legislative process. They were chosen through a
white electorate, and Afro-Americans in the South could do
little about that. Even if a favorable majority in Congress
stemming from the North and West could be established, the one-
party system in the South meant that Southern Senators were
continually reelected and, therefore, had Congressional
seniority. Consequently, they controlled most of the committees
and were thereby in virtual control of the legislative process
itself.
Although the courts had usually interpreted the Constitution so
as to support segregation, much of that document's language
supported democratic and equalitarian principles.
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