The Little Rock Nine Melissa Brimigon

Who are they? The Little Rock Nine are a group of nine African American students who started the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their names are: – Ernest Green – Elizabeth Eckford – Jefferson Thomas – Terrance Roberts – Carlotta Walls – Minnijean Brown – Gloria Ray – Thelma Mothershed – Melba Pattillo

The Public’s Reaction Most whites were agains Integration including the Arkansas Govener Orval Faubus. Most African Americans saw the integration of Central High School os something that would cause more trouble for their race than it would good.

Arkansas’s Reaction Faubus took many preventive measures against integration On television the night beforethe first day of school, he declared intergation an impossibility. He also ordered the Arkansas National Gaurd to surround Central High and keep all blacks out of the school, which worked for the first couple days.

Federal Government’s Reaction On September 20 th, Judge Ronald N. Davies granted an injunction that prevented Faubus from using the National Guard to keep the nine kids out of the school. Faubus went along with the court order but said the kids should still stay away if they wanted to stay safe. At this point, President Eisenhower intervened.

Continued President Eisenhower placed the Arkansas National Guard under federal orders. He then called 1,200 members of the US Army’s 101 st Airborne Division – The “Screaming Eagles” – from Fort Campbell, Kentucky to Little Rock.

At School The nine were escorted back into Central for their first full day on September 25 th, 1957, under federal troop escort. They suffered constant harassment that included getting kicked, shoved, spit on and called names. This harassment was so bad the federal government assigned them all personal guards. When asked why they stayed in such a hostile situation Ernest Green says “We kids did it mainly because we didn’t know any better, but our parents were willing to put their careers, and their homes on the line.”

Continued Minnijean Brown was the only one of the Nine to respond to the harassment. She plumped her bowl of chili on two white boys and referred to a white girl who had hit her as “white trash.” She was suspended and later expelled.

Continued She has said “I just can’t take everything they throw at me without fighting back.” On May 27 th, 1958, Ernest Green became the first African American to graduate from Little Rock Central High School. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. attended his graduation ceremony. Green said “It’s been an interesting year. I’ve had a course in human relations first hand.

After Graduation Voters chose to close all four of Little Rock’s high schools to prevent further desegregation efforts. Three of the Nine moved away and remaining five took classes at the University of Arkansas. In 1959, Faubus’s actions were declared unconstituational and the schools were reopened. Jefferson Thompson and Carlotta Walls were the only two out of the original Nine reassigned to Central High and they graduated in 1959.

Impact on Society These kids made huge ripples in the civil rights movement. They showed that blacks could fight for their rights and win. And they also brought the idea of segregation to the rfont of the public’s minds. They showed people what horrible measures some whites would take to protect segregation. The events that took place at Central High inspired many lunch counter sit ins and caused other blacks to think if these nine children could take on the enormous task of Civil Rights, they could too.

Works Cited Galiano, Amanda. “The Little Rock Nine: Central High – Part 2.” Little Rock Arkansas – Attractions, Information, History, People, Hotels. Web. 24 Apr “Little Rock Nine – Encyclopedia of Arkansas.” The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History Culture. Web. 24 Apr /entry-detail.aspx?entryId+723. “The Little Rock Nine.” Little Rock Central High 40 th Anniversary. Web. 24 Apr Nash, Gary B. American Odyssey the United States in the Twentieth Century. New York, N.Y.: Glencoe/McGraw-Hill, Print.