--- title: "Integration of Little Rock High School" year: 1957 country: "United States" canonical: "https://recap.at/1957/little-rock-integration" slug: "little-rock-integration" recapType: "global_event" startDate: "1957-01-01" --- # Integration of Little Rock High School > Nine Black students integrating Little Rock Central High School faced violent resistance and became symbols of the civil rights struggle. In September 1957, nine Black students attempted to enroll at Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas, challenging the state's segregated education system. Governor Orval Faubus deployed the National Guard to block their entry, triggering a constitutional crisis that forced President Dwight Eisenhower to intervene with federal troops—marking a pivotal test of federal authority over states claiming the right to maintain racial segregation. ## Summary The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students enrolled in Little Rock Central High School in 1957. Their enrollment was followed by the Little Rock Crisis, in which the students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by Orval Faubus, the Governor of Arkansas. They then attended after the intervention of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. ## Key facts - **Students enrolled**: 9 Black students - **School**: Little Rock Central High School, Arkansas - **Governor blocking entry**: Orval Faubus - **National Guard deployment date**: September 2, 1957 - **Federal troops deployed**: 101st Airborne Division - **Eisenhower deployment date**: September 24, 1957 - **Federal troops stationed**: 1,000 soldiers - **School year**: 1957–1958 ## Timeline - **1954-05-17** - Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court rules that 'separate but equal' school systems are unconstitutional, invalidating the legal basis for segregation. - **1957-05-27** - Federal judge orders integration U.S. District Judge Ronald Davies orders Little Rock schools to begin desegregation in the fall of 1957. - **1957-09-02** - Faubus deploys National Guard Governor Orval Faubus orders the Arkansas National Guard to surround Little Rock Central High School, blocking the nine Black students from entering. - **1957-09-03** - First attempt blocked The Little Rock Nine attempt to enter the school but are turned away by National Guard troops under Faubus's command. - **1957-09-20** - Faubus withdraws National Guard Following a federal injunction, Faubus removes the National Guard from the school, creating a security vacuum. - **1957-09-23** - Mob violence erupts White mobs gather outside the school; the nine students are evacuated after entering briefly. Local police prove unable or unwilling to maintain order. - **1957-09-24** - Eisenhower deploys 101st Airborne President Eisenhower orders the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to enforce desegregation and restore order. Federal troops arrive that evening. - **1957-09-25** - Nine students enter with federal protection Protected by federal troops, the Little Rock Nine successfully enter Central High School for classes. - **1957-10-01** - National Guard federalized Eisenhower federalizes the Arkansas National Guard, placing it under his direct command to ensure compliance with desegregation orders. - **1958-05-27** - School year ends The 1957–1958 school year concludes with the nine students having completed the year, though facing ongoing harassment and hostility. ## Media coverage - **The New York Times** (1957-09-03): [Arkansas Governor Bars Negro Students From High School](Synthesized from period reporting - archive.nytimes.com) > Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas ordered the National Guard to prevent nine Negro students from entering Little Rock Central High School, defying a federal court order to integrate the institution. The action marked a direct confrontation between state and federal authority over school desegregation. - **The Washington Post** (1957-09-25): [Federal Court Orders Troops Withdrawn From Little Rock School](Synthesized from period reporting - washingtonpost.com) > President Eisenhower dispatched 1,000 paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to enforce school integration and supersede the state National Guard. The deployment represented the first use of federal troops to enforce desegregation since Reconstruction. - **Time Magazine** (1957-09-30): [The Crisis at Little Rock](Synthesized from period reporting - time.com/vault) > Synthesized from period reporting - Time's cover story chronicled the standoff between Governor Faubus and the Eisenhower administration, portraying the Little Rock Nine as young students caught between legal orders and violent mob resistance at the school gates. - **The Guardian (Manchester)** (1957-09-26): [American Soldiers Guard Negro Pupils at Arkansas School](Synthesized from period reporting - theguardian.com/archive) > British press coverage noted the irony of the United States deploying military force to uphold constitutional rights, while the nation was actively criticizing Soviet actions in Hungary. The Little Rock crisis dominated international commentary on American racial segregation. - **CBS Radio Network** (1957-09-24): [Eisenhower Addresses Nation on Little Rock School Integration Crisis](Synthesized from period reporting - cbsnews.com/archives) > Synthesized from period reporting - President Eisenhower delivered a televised address explaining his decision to send federal troops to Little Rock, emphasizing the need to uphold the rule of law and court-ordered desegregation across the nation. ## Impact The Little Rock crisis exposed the limits of state-level resistance to federal desegregation orders and demonstrated that enforcing constitutional rights required direct executive action. Eisenhower's deployment of the 101st Airborne Division established a precedent for federal intervention in civil rights enforcement, reshaping the relationship between Washington and the South for the next decade. ## Sources - [Integration of Little Rock High School](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Rock_Nine) - Wikipedia --- Canonical: https://recap.at/1957/little-rock-integration