America was changing during President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s terms in office, and civil rights were at the forefront of national discussion. President Eisenhower quickly got to work demanding rapid desegregation of the armed forces and other areas of federal authority. He also appointed Earl Warren as chief justice of the United States and Herbert Brownell Jr. as attorney general, both key figures in the Brown v. Board of Education decision. But his most notable contributions may have been the signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights legislation in more than 80 years, and his Executive Order 10730 that sent federal troops to carry out the will of the Supreme Court during the Little Rock Crisis. The Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum & Boyhood Home is the best place to explore the extraordinary life and legacy of the only five-star general to become president of the United States.
