Little Rock Nine Research Paper

470 Words2 Pages
In 1955, the Supreme Court ruled that school boards should make a “prompt and reasonable start” to desegregate. Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas was the first all-white school to comply with these orders. In September of 1957, nine african-american teenagers were enrolled in Central High, they were harassed by the white community and referred to by the media as the Little Rock Nine. The Little Rock Nine volunteered to be the first to desegregate Central High, in hopes of leading other schools in the area and country to follow in the acts of desegregation. They were fighting for the right to receive equal education as their white counterparts, and against the social norm of segregation in the south, which had infiltrated the everyday life…show more content…
Faubus then ordered the Arizona National Guard to keep the students from entering the school, which they did. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower heard of Faubus’ actions, he invited him to the White House, and attempted to convince him to let the students into the school. Faubus never changed his mind, but Eisenhower overrode him, and ordered the local police to escort the children to the school. Faubus was pro-segregation, and wanted to keep the all-white high school as it was and was against equality of education. Point of view of others The white community of Little Rock stood behind their mayor in objection to the desegregation of their school. The white students harassed the Little Rock Nine so much so that they required guards to escort them around school to protect them from the mobs and students. The Little Rock Nine were harassed in and out of school, by angry parents and students. Instead of fighting back the Little Rock Nine pushed through the mobs and were solely victims of the hurtful words and pepper spray. They banded together and under the protection of their guards, made it through the school

More about Little Rock Nine Research Paper

Open Document