How Did The Little Rock Nine Impact On The United States

Orval E. Faubus born and raised in Arkansas has came accustomed to the southern ways, but is it time for a change? Orval Faubus has served as Governor in Arkansas since 1955. He is Arkansas 's 36th president and he is part of the Democratic Party. Being the governor comes with hard decision. One of the decisions that Governor Faubus has decided to make was haunting integration.

Board of Education signified the first time that the Supreme Court was on the African American side. This court case was a direct challenge to Plessy v. Ferguson, which stated that separate but equal facilities were equal. The book Warriors Don’t Cry is set directly during this period. In 1957, Governor Orval Faubus blocked the integration of nine students from Little Rocks Central High. President Eisenhower eventually became involved for a few reasons; one was because Governor Faubus was making an obvious resistance to federal authority.

Governor Faubus has the National Guard at Central High School, to monitor the violence during the first day of the integration, but instead the National Guard blocks the nine black students from entering the high school, going against what the president has said should happen in the integration of Central High School. The second attempt of integration after Governor Faubus goes to federal court about the National Guard not letting the nine students in Central High School is court ordered to let the Little Rock Nine students in the school. Melba notices “it seemed everybody was expecting us to arrive at Central High School.” (69). This is the beginning of change in little rock during the beginning of integration at central high school.

When looking at a picture of such controversy it brings emotions of sadness and anger. When the nine black students tried to attend an all-white school on September 4, 1957, although they had the right, they were denied. Not only were they denied the right from the students but from adults and people of political influence in Arkansas. The Little Rock Nine were part of a major part of the Civil Rights movement. Although we have come a long way we are still faced with some of the same hatred that was shown back

Could you set yourself back in time to were people harass you, threatening you, steering on your heels till you bleed, trying to make you fail, just for being a certain race? Nine courageous students, the President, and fellow students shared their story on how they survived the 1957 crisis in Little Rock to make a difference. 1957-1958 Central High School School Year was one to remember. The Supreme court had declared the school granted the rights to integrate, so they found nine black students that volunteered to fulfil the rights, later to make history. Although some might argue President Eisenhower had the most power during the 1957 Little Rock Central High integration crisis, young people proved they had just as much power to make change.

In the years 1953 to 1963 two presidents were in office; Dwight Eisenhower assumed office in 1953 and left in 1961, he was succeed by John F Kennedy in 1961 who was then assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Both Presidents are credited with some major advancements in civil rights. One way the presidents didn’t do much for civil rights was that JFK did not want to interfere in the freedom rides. In 1961 CORE organised the Freedom Rides to challenge two Supreme Court rulings on interstate travel: Morgan Vs Virginia (1946) and Boynton Vs Virginia (1960) however they were met with a lot of white backlash from groups such as the KKK.

Little Rock Nine took a stand for blacks and their rights to attend the same school as white people. The group made a powerful statement that why equal education was so important, equal right, and why segregation was so important. Today I will be talking about all four subtitles. Equal education was a huge part of our history in Rock, Arkansas for African Americans like The Little Rock Nine because white people always thought they always needed to have higher educations that black people. On September 4, 1957, the Little Rock Nine arrived for their first day at Central High.

The racism in Little Rock Nine had a significant resemblance to the one in Montgomery. In both cases, the blacks were being oppressed. The blacks in the Little Rock nine were expected by their white counterparts to study in their school. The case was no different in Montgomery where the blacks could not seat at specific seats reserved for the whites. The Jim Crow regime underrated the blacks whereby they were seen as second-class citizens both in Little Rock Nine and  Montgomery.

They didn’t want African Americans near them, “‘Are you gonna let that nigger coon sit in our class?’ a boy shouted as he glared at me” (75). They also harassed the group of nine. For example, while Melba was in a bathroom stall she was attacked by a group of girls, “Flaming paper floated down and landed on my hair and shoulders” (119). The students were willing to do anything that would get the Little Rock Nine out of Central High.

Hostility between whites and African Americans in Arkansas was persistent even with the efforts to ensure equal rights for every citizen throughout the state in early 20th century. One source of this hostility was segregation. This existed especially in the school system. However, state laws stated that separate public schools were unconstitutional as a result of Brown v. Board of Education. Little Rock Central High was the first Arkansas school to integrate.

In 1957, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas’s decision, segregation in public education violated the Fourteen Amendment, but Central High School refused to desegregate their school. Even though various school districts agreed to the court ruling, Little Rock disregarded the board and did not agree to desegregate their schools, but the board came up with a plan called the “Blossom plan” to form integration of Little Rock High despite disputation from Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus. Desegregating Central high encountered a new era of achievement of black folks into the possibility of integrating public schools, and harsh resistance of racial integration. Although nine black students were admitted into Little Rock harsh violence and

Little Rock Nine “They found themselves in the middle of a tug a war between federal and state power”(Kirk). The students hunger for equality sparked a change that would affect America greatly. Little Rock Nine inspired many African Americans to stand up for themselves and stand against racism. They also helped desegregate schools which later lead to the desegregation of other public areas. Little Rock Nine was an inspiration to the 1960’s as seen through their background, impact, and contributions.

When the news media reported on this picture it showed the rest of the world that many people in Little Rock were against integration and they would heckle the Little Rock Nine, so they wouldn’t want to go to Central. The news media also captured many people’s reactions to the Little Rock Nine going into Central. Benjamin Fine who

The Little Rock Nine was a group of 9 black students that enrolled at Central High School of Little Rock, Arkansas. The students included oldest, Ernest Green, Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls. Daisy Bates was the activist that carefully selected the students, and helped them become the first African Americans to attend the

Legal historian Mary Dudziak, author of the book Cold War Civil Rights: Race and the Image of American Democracy, explores impacts of Cold War foreign affairs on American civil rights. Dudziak argues that the United States government pushed for civil rights reforms due to risk’s to the nation’s alleged moral supremacy. Dissecting the so-called Negro problem as propaganda muscle during the Cold War resulting in the mistreatment of persons of color. Dudziak uses the book The Unsteady March: The Rise and Decline of Racial Equality in America, written by Philip A. Klinkner with Rogers A. Smith to underscore the point that civil rights activists’ were aware of racism during and after WWI.