Little Rock School Desegregation (2024)

FAQs

What were the results of the Little Rock desegregation? ›

In response to Faubus' action, a team of NAACP lawyers, including Thurgood Marshall, won a federal district court injunction to prevent the governor from blocking the students' entry. With the help of police escorts, the students successfully entered the school through a side entrance on 23 September 1957.

The rest of the Little Rock Nine completed their high school educations at different schools. The Little Rock Nine have received numerous accolades and awards, from the renowned NAACP Spingarn Medal to the nation's highest civilian honor, the Congressional Gold Medal.

Despite challenges and defiance to the authority of the Supreme Court and federal district court in ordering an end to segregation, the court rulings were upheld in Little Rock by President Eisenhower's decision to send federal troops. As a result, Central High School was integrated.

On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education that segregated schools are "inherently unequal." In September 1957, as a result of that ruling, nine African-American students enrolled at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.

One earned her diploma through correspondence courses at Central. The Commemorative Garden honoring the Little Rock Nine at dusk. Each of them went on to successful lives and careers, with most earning college and advanced degrees. All but Thomas, who died in 2010, are still alive.

The confrontation in Little Rock drew international attention to racism and civil rights in the United States as well as to the battle between federal and state power. Television and newspaper reporters devoted substantial coverage to the “l*ttle Rock Nine,” as the African American students were called.

On September 2, 1957 the night prior to what was to be the teens' first day in Central High classrooms, Arkansas governor Orval Faubus ordered the state's National Guard to block their entrance. Faubus said it was for the safety of the nine students.

This clash between state and federal authorities culminated with President Dwight D. Eisenhower sending federal troops to protect the “l*ttle Rock Nine.” With the protection from the federal troops the nine African American students were able to attend Central High School.

The high school is still operating today and is the only functioning high school to be located within the boundary of a national historic site. Visit the Central High School Visitor Center to learn more Little Rock Nine information and history.

What is a quote from The Little Rock Nine? ›

Little Rock Nine Quotes. Melba Patillo spoke about the abuse she and the eight others experienced: 'The humiliating expectations and traditions of segregation creep over you, slowly stealing a teaspoonful of your self-esteem each day. '

The Little Rock Nine was important because they epitomized the fight of the Civil Rights Movement for equality. Through their actions, many Black children were able to enroll in good schools, something that was previously impossible.

The desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, gained national attention on September 3, 1957, when Governor Orval Faubus mobilized the Arkansas National Guard in an effort to prevent nine African American students from integrating the high school.

This executive order of September 23, 1957, signed by President Dwight Eisenhower, sent federal troops to maintain order and peace while the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, AR, took place.

Ruby Bridges - First Black Child to Integrate an All-White Elementary School in the South. On November 14, 1960, at the age of six, Ruby Bridges changed history and became the first African American child to integrate an all-white elementary school in the South.

In 1954 the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were illegal. The case, Brown v. The Board of Education, has become iconic for Americans because it marked the formal beginning of the end of segregation.

The confrontation in Little Rock drew international attention to racism and civil rights in the United States as well as to the battle between federal and state power. Television and newspaper reporters devoted substantial coverage to the “l*ttle Rock Nine,” as the African American students were called.

The Little Rock Nine was important because they epitomized the fight of the Civil Rights Movement for equality. Through their actions, many Black children were able to enroll in good schools, something that was previously impossible.

Overall significance of Little Rock

The events at Little Rock had huge consequences, including: Other southern cities decided to continue desegregation slowly, so as to avoid stirring up dramatic protest. Some white parents began to move their children away from desegregated schools to the suburbs or private schools.