Little+Rock+Nine

**The Little Rock Nine** The Little Rock Nine were nationally known for being the first African American students to attend an all white school in the South. The reasoning behind why this was possible was because of the United States Supreme Court’s declaration in 1954 that stated that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional in Brown v. The Board of Education. While most schools tried to resist this ruling, Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas said they would go along with the courts ruling. When determining which African Americans would be accepted into the school, they interviewed and tested about eighty students. Nine of these eighty students were accepted. Their names were Melba Patillo Beals, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Carlotta Walls Lanier, Terrance Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, Minnijean Brown Trickey, and Thelma Mothershed Wair. These nine children became known as the Little Rock Nine. This new policy angered a majority of the white population. On September 3, 1957, the nine students were supposed to start their first day of school. They were greeted by angry mobs of white folk who yelled racial slurs. Upon hearing about the angry and dangerous crowd, Arkansas Governor Orval M. Faubus ordered the national guard to not allow the nine students to enter Central High School on that day. On September 20, 1957, Federal Judge Ronald Davies intervened. He ordered that Governor Orval M. Faubus to allow these nine children to attend Central High and dismiss the national guard from guarding the school. Faubus denied the courts ruling and refused to go along with the segration. Once President Eisenhower heard of the incident he sent out about a thousand paratroopers and also federalized the 10,000 National Guard troops to ensure the Little Rock Nine’s safety upon entering Central High School. On September 20, 1957, all nine children were enrolled into the High School safely. For the remaining days of the year, they still had officials surrounding the High School to make sure the nine children were safe (1). Students entering Little Rock Central High.

All nine students a part of the Little Rock Nine.

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Video of the events that took place for the Little Rock Nine.

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