On September 25, 1957 nine African American students entered Little Rock Central High School in hopes to integrate it. Little Rock, Arkansas is located in the south where a large amount of racism was centered. The date the students entered was affected because the first day they were suppose to arrive the mobs were to large and dangerous. When the mobs had realized they had gotten safety inside the building, violence erupted and seven journalists were attacked. As a result of this the principal dismissed the nine students at lunch to prevent further violence. After hearing about this President Eisenhower sent paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock in order to escort the children safely and take care of any trouble makers. Throughout the year they faced ongoing abuse, threats and discrimination, but this did not stop these motivated students. They could not be left alone very long because of the chance of violence aimed at them. By 1958 they had successfully finished a school year. Ernest Green was the first of the Little Rock Nine to graduate. In their eyes they had won a long and hard battle that still had to be fought but the worse was over and high school kids had made a difference.
I think this is important to the Civil Right Movement because it shows that it was not just adults who were involved and are seen as heroes today, but kids as well that are our age. School is hard enough and the courage they had to go to school and fight every day for their lives is a significant thing that should be remembered. Researching the little rock and the rest of the Civil Rights Movement made me upset with how people were treated. These nine kids just wanted to go to school like every other kid, but had so much more trouble just because of the color of their skin.
Questions: Which case was this event in response to? Answer: Brown vs Board of Education Question: Why are these students seen as heros today? Answer: Their courage and bravery stands out because they refused to give up.
The Little Rock Nine are still alive today! Click the button to learn more about what happened after their experience in Little Rock!