• Southern states were against desegregation

• Individual states tried to ignore the Supreme Court’s decision of 1955

• Argued they had states rights to keep schools segregated

White school Black school

The crisis came to a head at Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957…

• The state of Arkansas decided it would desegregate its schools slowly

• 1st school in Arkansas to be desegregated was the Central High School

• The Governor of Arkansas Orville Faubus was against integration

How did Faubus stop black children attending the school?

He sent state soldiers to surround the school

- He said they were there to stop racist violence but the soldiers did not let Black children in the school.

• Faubus was ordered to remove the state soldiers by…

– Federal government

• Faubus removed the troops but knew desegregation would be stopped because …

– a large White mob was also surrounding the school

1st Black student to attend Central High School was called Elizabeth Eckford

That night I couldn’t sleep. Next morning I was the first one to get up. As I walked to the school a large crowd moved closer to me, calling me names. My knees started to shake and I wondered if I would make it to school. The crowd moved closer and closer. Somebody started yelling. ‘Lynch her, lynch her.’ I tried to see a friendly face in the mob. I saw an old lady. She looked kind but then she spat on me. They started shouting. ‘No nigger b**** is going to get into our school. Get out of here.’

• Eventually the President of the USA, Dwight Eisenhower sent 1000 soldiers to Little Rock to make sure the children were safe

• Soldiers stayed in Little Rock for a year, even patrolling the school corridors to make sure children were safe

• Events in Little Rock, Arkansas, attracted world wide attention to the Civil Rights Movement

The importance of Little Rock

• The beginning of educational de-segregation

• Support from the NAACP; highlighting discrimination

• Presidential involvement – Arkansas National Guard taken under federal control

• Media involvement – journalists/ cameras – worldwide attention

• Civil Rights Act of 1957 is introduced

However, it was not successful because…..

• Supreme Court decision on desegregation only applies to education – by 1968, 68% of all Southern schools remain segregated

• Civil Rights campaign continues to bring about desegregation in other areas of society.