The Little Rock Nine: Paving the Way for School Integration in Arkansas
Following the decision in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the court mandated that all public schools in the U.S. be desegregated “with all deliberate speed” in a second ruling called Brown II. Arkansas Gov. Orval Faubus opposed the decision and attempted to block nine Black students from entering Central High School in Little Rock by calling in the Arkansas National Guard on September 4, 1957. These students, known as the Little Rock Nine, and their plight drew national attention. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to protect the students and let them enter the school safely. By the end of September, all nine had been admitted to Little Rock Central High School, marking a major victory in the fight for civil rights in education.
