Little Rock Nine (D.C. and C.C.)
The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine African-American students who attended an all white school called Little Rock Central High School. All of the students were Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed Wair, Melba Pattillo Beals, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Terrance Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Gloria Cecilia Ray.
1. This act was the start of school desegregation. The Little Rock Nine was a group of students who volunteeringly offered to go to the school after the 1995 Supreme Court Ruling. The Governor of Arkansas didn't want desegregation to happen immediately, so he decided to close down all public schools for the rest of the year. The schools were reopened in 1959. The Mayor of Little Rock was afraid the African Americans would be hurt due to violence, so he ordered them to be withdrawn from the school. Daisy Bates was a Civil Rights activist and said she wouldn't enter the school without protection. The desegregation took about a year to "work" in Little Rock. Many people still didn't support it though.
2. The Little Rock Nine made many white folks upset and caused a riot. Because of this many of the students faced harassment and bullying. In one situation Minnijean Brown was expelled from school after getting in a fight with other white students. She then finished the rest of high school in New York City. Not only did the students face harassment but they could not even get inside of the school like a normal student. Many white folks would protest in front of the school and threatened the students. This event also caused crisis in the nation making citizens from all over the country angry or inspired.
3. Because there was a lot of protesting happening in front of the school, U.S. troops were ordered to escort the students. The first time the students tried to enter Little Rock Central High they were denied. The Governor of Arkansas, Orval Eugene Faubus, attempted to delay the students from attending school. The court did not agree with his decision, because of this Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the students from entering the school. A few days later on September 25, 1957, President D. Eisenhower sent soldiers to Little Rock to enforce the court order. All of the students were guided by the 101st Airborne Division through the angry crowds to enter school that day.
4. The Little Rock Nine students names were Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed Wair, Melba Pattillo Beals, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Terrance Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Gloria Cecilia Ray. The new students arrived at Little Rock Central High School in 1957. All of the students ended up graduating high school and attending college. Due to the harassment and way the students were being treated only three of the nine students graduated from Little Rock Central High School. Of these students Ernest Green was the first to graduate from the school and the other two included Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls.
5. The government was heavily involved with the Little Rock Nine event. This event was planned out by the 1955 Supreme Court Ruling due to the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Case. This case was what officially stated that school segregation was wrong. Many government officials also tried to stop the students from attending the school. The governor of Arkansas, Faubus tried to prevent the students from entering the school by ordering the Arkansas National Guard to block the school. Another government official that tried to prevent the students from attending the school was the mayor of Little Rock , Woodrow Wilson Mann. Woodrow tried to convince the court that the students would face violence so he ordered the students to be withdrawn from the school. A civil rights activist, Daisy Bates then told the media that the students would indeed attend the school.
In more recent news, the Little Rock Nine students and Daisy Bates were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, one of the highest ranking civilian awards. They also attended the 2012 Annual Arkansas Civil Rights Heritage Trail and Commemoration. Today the Little Rock Nine remain to be important symbols of the civil rights movement.
Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-69ATHE9Ni60O433T9Nxye8cwMCK_5XPha58sYUS5bs/edit?usp=sharing
Source: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-69ATHE9Ni60O433T9Nxye8cwMCK_5XPha58sYUS5bs/edit?usp=sharing
Little Rock Nine (C.H. & R.B.)
Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed, and Melba Pattillo Beals are names of nine people that have forever changed America, and discrimination everywhere (Wikipedia). In the height of issue of segregation of African Americans, the Little Rock Nine changed many people’s views on segregation. In the 1960s these nine teenagers entered an all white school and faced racist jokes and mean people. They survived all of their hardships and managed to graduate from an all white school. They were the first of many to start integrating schools, and they helped to pave the way for African Americans everywhere.
Little Rock Crisis. Although integrating was legal, the majority of people in Arkansas were against it. The Little Rock Nine were kept out of Central High School, because of many racist people who feared integration. On September 4, the second day of school, when the nine children tried to enter Central High, there were Arkansas guardsmen blocking their entrance. The guardsmen acted like soldiers, but for the segregationists. This event is known as the Little Rock Crisis (Wexner). People that were in favor of integrating tried unsuccessfully for days trying to get the nine teenagers into the school, but could not get passed the vicious mobs and the racist guards.
Protectors. After the Little Rock Crisis, the judge of Little Rock, Judge Davies, ordered the Governor to remove the guards from the outside of the school. Even though the guards were no longer there, there was a vicious mob of white segregationists preventing the entrance for the nine children. When President Eisenhower heard of this ordeal, he decided to get involved. President Eisenhower said the events at Central High were a “disgraceful occurrence” and issued a proclamation ordering those who interfered with federal law “to cease and desist therefrom and to disperse forthwith.” Nobody listened to Eisenhower’s proclamation, and the next day there was an even bigger mob of segregationists outside the school. On September 24, 1957, Eisenhower ordered 1,000 troops from the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock. He also federalized 10,000 members of the Arkansas National Guard. He then ordered them to protect the rights of the African Americans. The soldiers accompanied the teenagers around the school for two months, protecting them from people who did not agree with integration (Wexner).
Facing the Mob. Even though President Eisenhower supported integrating, there were many racist white citizens that did not want black children attending their high schools. The crowd would chant things at the nine teenagers like “N******. N******. They’re coming. Here they come!”, “Two, four, six, eight, we ain’t gonna integrate” or “N****** keep away from our school.” The mob was cruel and would do whatever it would take to keep the nine teenagers out of the school. One of the nine, Elizabeth Eckford recalls, “I tried to see a friendly face somewhere in the mob… I looked into the face of an old woman, and it seemed like a nice face, but when I looked at her again, she spat on me.”
A Kind Face. With the help of Eisenhower and the guards, the Little Rock Nine eventually made it into the school. Once inside the doors, they faced many more hardships. The African American students learned that they would not be able to participate in team sports, run for student office, join any clubs, play in the band, or attend dances. Basically, their only rights were to go to school and go home. They also faced many death threats and insults. One of the nine, Minnijean Brown, was expelled in February 1958 for calling a girl “white trash” after the same girl called her a very offensive name. However, not everyone was cruel to them. The nine students recall that there was one white girl, Robin Louck, who befriended them and would smile at them when nobody else would. In Terrence Roberts third period algebra class she noticed he did not have a book so she slid her desk up to his and shared her math book with him. This formed a friendship between Robin and Terrance, and Robin became a friendly face to Terrence and the other eight students (The Little Rock Nine on Oprah).
A Successful Future. On May 29, 1958, Ernest Green was the first black student to graduate from Central High. Many people attended his graduation, including Martin Luther King Jr. The other eight students followed his lead, and all of the Little Rock Nine graduated high school, even though four of them left Central High and graduated from a different high school. All nine of the teenagers went on to complete their educations at various universities around the country (Little Rock School District). After college, many of them were successful and went on to have great careers. Ernest Green served as assistant secretary of the federal Department of Labor under President Jimmy Carter. Minnijean Brown worked as deputy assistant secretary for workforce diversity in the Department of the Interior under President Bill Clinton. Melba Patillo worked as a reporter for NBC (History.com).
The nine African American children that entered Central High School, known as the Little Rock Nine showed outstanding courage and bravery. They faced angry mobs of racist people, guards that wouldn’t let them in, death threats and other scary things. The children tried to enter the school on multiple occasions, but were either blocked by angry mobs, or blocked by guards that were standing in front of the doors keeping the nine black children out. Many years after their heroic acts, the Little Rock Nine were awarded with the Congressional Gold Medal from President Bill Clinton for their tremendous acts of courage and bravery. The medal is only awarded to those who have performed an achievement that has an impact on American history and culture that is likely to be recognized as a major achievement in the recipient's field long after their achievement (Wikipedia). President Clinton honored the Little Rock Nine on November 9, 1999.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TwBLavhAax9LYyJZiqmo8skipVCuQJ715ES3QwP5QOM/edit?usp=sharing
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1TwBLavhAax9LYyJZiqmo8skipVCuQJ715ES3QwP5QOM/edit?usp=sharing
Little Rock Nine (B.W. & C.P.)
The little rock nine were a group of african american students enrolled in Little Rock Central High school. The students were initially prevented from entering the racially segregated school by the governor of Arkansas. These nine students were brave enough to challenge segregation. They were given threats and were harassed but still pushed on leaving a name for themselves as the Little Rock Nine.
1. People Involved
The Little Rock Nine consisted of Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrance Roberts, Carlotta Walls. LaNier, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo Beals. The Governor Of Arkansas played a big role of the Little Rock Crisis by stopping them from entering the school. President Eisenhower helped by sending troops to protect the students.
The Little Rock Nine consisted of Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrance Roberts, Carlotta Walls. LaNier, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo Beals. The Governor Of Arkansas played a big role of the Little Rock Crisis by stopping them from entering the school. President Eisenhower helped by sending troops to protect the students.
2. Before Central High
Before transferring to Central High, the nine attended segregated schools for black students in Little Rock. Carlotta Walls, Jefferson Thomas, and Gloria Ray attended Paul Laurence Junior High, while the others attended Horace Mann High School. Their schools before Central High were much farther away than Little Rock. It was ridiculous for them to travel so far when Central High was so close to their homes.
Before transferring to Central High, the nine attended segregated schools for black students in Little Rock. Carlotta Walls, Jefferson Thomas, and Gloria Ray attended Paul Laurence Junior High, while the others attended Horace Mann High School. Their schools before Central High were much farther away than Little Rock. It was ridiculous for them to travel so far when Central High was so close to their homes.
3. First Day of School
On September 4, 1957 the first day of school at Central High a white mob gathered in front of the school threatening them, and throwing items in attempt to injure. This day started of what now is called the Little Rock Crisis. The segregationists who did not want the Black students in their schools promised protests telling the governor to block the school. The police were fearful that they could not control the increasingly unruly crowds in front of the school. They sent the students home early that morning because of the crowds. Every day was a challenge for these nine students not just the first day of school.
On September 4, 1957 the first day of school at Central High a white mob gathered in front of the school threatening them, and throwing items in attempt to injure. This day started of what now is called the Little Rock Crisis. The segregationists who did not want the Black students in their schools promised protests telling the governor to block the school. The police were fearful that they could not control the increasingly unruly crowds in front of the school. They sent the students home early that morning because of the crowds. Every day was a challenge for these nine students not just the first day of school.
4. Protection
The nine were escorted by troops of the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army sent by President Eisenhower. The 101st Airborne Division would pick them up at their homes protecting them until they were inside the school. Even then they were still risking their lives to get a good education. The transition was a big struggle by suffering racial and physical abuse. Melba Pattillo said a student flung acid into her eyes and there was other atrocious acts as well.
5. Later Years.
Ernest Green was the first African American to graduate from Central High School. One of the students, Brown moved to New York city and graduated from New Lincoln High School in 1959. The other eight students remained at Central High until the end of the school year. Central High remains one of the leading education centers in Arkansas, and stands as a national historic site and a icon for racial equality and social reform.
Ernest Green was the first African American to graduate from Central High School. One of the students, Brown moved to New York city and graduated from New Lincoln High School in 1959. The other eight students remained at Central High until the end of the school year. Central High remains one of the leading education centers in Arkansas, and stands as a national historic site and a icon for racial equality and social reform.
Conclusion Connection
It hasn’t been that long ago that these events happened. Because the Little Rock Nine made such an impact now we do not have to worry about these things. Now we celebrate and look back on them. The nine made an appearance on Oprah in 1999. The courageous efforts of the Little Rock Nine are celebrated as one of the most defying chapters in Little Rock’s history, and as one of the earliest victories of a long overdue Civil Rights movement
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cLsWHWhIdmr_GdGJJeY4oY7o8rjhxp2jp3mFzeB7UgI/edit
It hasn’t been that long ago that these events happened. Because the Little Rock Nine made such an impact now we do not have to worry about these things. Now we celebrate and look back on them. The nine made an appearance on Oprah in 1999. The courageous efforts of the Little Rock Nine are celebrated as one of the most defying chapters in Little Rock’s history, and as one of the earliest victories of a long overdue Civil Rights movement
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cLsWHWhIdmr_GdGJJeY4oY7o8rjhxp2jp3mFzeB7UgI/edit