Little Rock Nine

Little Rock Nine
Will Counts · Public domain · source
Name	Little Rock Nine
Caption	A crowd protests the integration of Little Rock Central High School in 1957.
Date	September 4–25, 1957 (initial crisis)
Location	Little Rock, Arkansas, United States
Coordinates	34, 44, 48, N...
Also known as	Little Rock Crisis
Participants	Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Minnijean Brown, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo Beals, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas; Orval Faubus; Dwight D. Eisenhower; 101st Airborne Division
Outcome	Integration of Little Rock Central High School enforced by federal troops.

Little Rock Nine The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students who, in 1957, became the first to attend the formerly all-white Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their enrollment, mandated by the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 decision in Brown v. Board of Education, was a pivotal test of federal authority versus states' rights and a defining moment in the Civil Rights Movement. The violent resistance they faced, which required intervention by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the United States Army, brought international attention to the struggle for desegregation in the American South.

Background and Legal Context

The crisis was a direct result of the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared state laws establishing segregated public schools unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine established by Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896. The Court's follow-up ruling in Brown II (1955) ordered desegregation to proceed "with all deliberate speed." In response, the Little Rock School Board adopted a phased integration plan, starting with Central High School in the fall of 1957. However, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, facing political pressure and aligning with segregationist forces, vowed to block the plan. This set the stage for a direct confrontation between state and federal power over the enforcement of civil rights.

The 1957 Desegregation Crisis

On September 4, 1957, the first day of school, Governor Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to surround Central High and prevent the nine students from entering, claiming it was for public safety. One of the most iconic images of the Civil Rights Movement emerged when Elizabeth Eckford, separated from the group, walked alone through a screaming mob, confronted by the hostile guardsmen. For weeks, the students were denied entry. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), led by attorneys like Thurgood Marshall and Wiley Branton, sought a federal injunction. On September 20, Federal District Court Judge Ronald N. Davies ordered Faubus to remove the Guard and allow integration. When the nine students entered on September 23, a violent mob erupted, forcing their withdrawal for their own safety.

Members of the Little Rock Nine

The nine students, selected for their academic strength and character, were Ernest Green (the first African American graduate of Central High in 1958), Elizabeth Eckford, Minnijean Brown, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Pattillo Beals, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Terrence Roberts, and Jefferson Thomas. They endured relentless harassment, physical and verbal abuse, and social isolation throughout the school year. Minnijean Brown was suspended and later expelled for retaliating against provocation. Despite this, they persisted with remarkable courage, supported by mentors like Daisy Bates, president of the Arkansas NAACP, who coordinated their efforts and provided a safe haven.

Federal Intervention and Aftermath

In response to the chaos and the state's defiance of federal law, President Dwight D. Eisenhower took unprecedented action. On September 24, he federalized the Arkansas National Guard, removing it from Faubus's control, and ordered elements of the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army to Little Rock. On September 25, under military escort, the Little Rock Nine finally entered Central High and attended their first full day of classes. Federal troops remained for the rest of the school year, and the Guard stayed for the entirety of the 1957-58 academic year to maintain order. In 1958, Governor Faubus closed all of Little Rock's public high schools for the entire year rather than continue integration, an act known as "The Lost Year," which was later ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Cooper v. Aaron (1958).

Legacy and Historical Significance

The Little Rock Nine crisis was a watershed event that demonstrated the federal government's ultimate responsibility to enforce civil rights laws and court orders against state defiance. It galvanized the Civil Rights Movement, providing a stark visual narrative of racial hatred and student bravery that mobilized national and international opinion. The students received numerous honors, including the Congressional Gold Medal in 1999. The site, Little Rock Central High School, is now a National Historic Site administered by the National Park Service. Their struggle highlighted the personal cost of desegregation and paved the way for further activism, including the Greensboro sit-ins and the Freedom Riders, in the ongoing fight for racial equality in the United States.