Little Rock Nine

Little Rock Nine

Start

· Definition

· Their names

· History before 1957

· The Little Rock Central High School

Index

· First day of school

· How did they affect the history?

· Today

· Conclusion

Their names

Definition

• african american students

• attended all white public school

• Little Rock Central High, Arkansas

https://www.pennlive.com/life/2019/09/little-rock-nine-broke-racial-barriers-in-1957-i-didnt-know-if-i-would-be-alive-to-graduate.html

Little Rock Central High School

History before 1957

• segregation laws: separate schools for white and black

• originally called Little Rock Senior High

• plans for gradual integration

• much opposition

—> 'The Capital Citizens Council' and 'Mother's league of Central High School

.• Brown v. Board of Education (1954) —> segregated schooling is unconstitutional • white schools for African Americans

After a while...

First day of School

• Life became difficult

• got bullied, physical harassment

• Brown's mother got fired

• strong enough to face resistance

• Arkansas National Guard blocked entry

• Eisenhower sent troops to accompany the LRN

—> national attention to civil rights movement

• Only one who graduated there was Green

Picture of Elizabeth Eckford

How did they affect the history?

• school became a civil rights museum • helped to fight racism • honored by President Clinton • Little Rock Nine Foundation

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/24/little-rock-arkansas-school-segregation-racism

Today

• all of them graduated •many of them became journalists, social activists • Carlotta Walls is President of the LRN Foundation . • films and documentaries about them

THANKS!

https://www.history.com/news/the-story-behind-the-famous-little-rock-nine-scream-image

Sources

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/24/little-rock-arkansas-school-segregation-racism

https://www.history.com/news/the-story-behind-the-famous-little-rock-nine-scream-image

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Little-Rock-Nine

https://www.ducksters.com/history/civil_rights/little_rock_nine.php

Content and discussion questions

• What were the difficulties on their first day of school?
• For what did Bill Clinton honor the Little Rock Nine?

• Imagine you are one of the Little Rock Nine before and during your first day of School, how would you feel?
• How do you think the Governor Fabus's deployment of the Arkansas National Guard looked in the eyes of people outside the U.S.A. who looked to the country as a land dedicated to freedom?