Desegregation of Little Rock

In the summer of 1957, the city of Little Rock Arkansas made plans to desegregate its public schools. By 1957, seven of its eight state universities had desegregated. Blacks had been appointed to state boards and elected to local offices. Arkansas had already desegregated all public facilities except in public schools. Its school board had voted unanimously for a plan, starting with the desegregation in the high school in 1957 followed by junior high, and then elementary schools. Everything was going all right until the second of September; the night before schools was to resume. Arkansas Governor, Orval Faubus called out the state National Guard to surround Little Rock Central High school and prevent any black students from entering in order to protect citizens and property form possible violence by protestors he claimed were headed in caravans toward Little Rock. In response, a federal judge granted an injunction against the Governors use of National Guard troops to prevent integration, but they were withdrawn the Twentieth of September. When school started the Twenty-third of September, the police escorted the nine black students to a side door where they peacefully entered the building, as classes were to begin. Eventually the crowd grew larger and dangerous. Next, U.S Congressman Brook Hays and Little Rocks Mayor Wooden Mann asked the Federal Government for help. After that, on the twenty-fourth of September, Mann sent a telegram to President Eisenhower requesting troops. They were dispatched that day and the President also federalized the entire Arkansas National Guard. On the twenty-sixth of September in 1957, the nine black students entered the school under the U.S. protection of 1,000 members of the 101^st airborne division of the U.S. Finally, the school was integrated. The first black graduate was Ernest Green, who was among the Little Rock nine. Inside the school, the majority of the 2,000 students, the faculty and the administration worked to put the land of the law into effect. For every act of harassment, there were 100 acts of acceptance of the black students among the whites.