Little Rock Nine Pros And Cons
Most students today wish that they could find some excuse to leave school early, but that’s just the opposite for the Little Rock Nine, they had to fight to get inside. Having to suffer through fear, hate, violence and humiliation was the day to day struggle. The “Little Rock Nine” were nine African American students who were asked to go to school at Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas in a plan to desegregate the school. But instead this plan caused major controversy. Many people and parents of Central High School students were against integration, even the governor of Arkansas at the time, Orval Faubus, was opposed to the idea. The bravery of the Little Rock Nine made a big difference in gaining African American equality in the Civil
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Rights period, and led the way to how our school systems work today.
The bravery of the Little Rock Nine was greater than any teenage kid of their time. First off, The night before the first day of school Governor Faubus announced on statewide television that if integration was carried out “blood will run the streets… I have called out the National Guard, the soldiers will not act as segregationists or integrationists, but will maintain order and protect the lives and property of citizens” (O’Neil 28). So the nine postponed their first day and was to wait until September 4th. Daisy Bates, who was a civil rights activist, president of the Arkansas National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and protector of the Little Rock Nine, asked for a police escort for the students on their first day of school. She informed almost all of the kids to meet her a few blocks away from the school that morning except for Elizabeth Eckford, who didn 't have a telephone at the time. So Elizabeth went off to school by herself while the other kids went to meet Daisy. Once Elizabeth stepped off the bus she was greeted by and angry mob of segregationist protestors. Some protesters waved Confederate flags and others held offensive signs.
The soldiers would not let her inside the school and held rifles inches from her face. She tried to go to the city bus stop but the mob followed and taunted her. Grace Lorch, a white NAACP member, led Elizabeth to a nearby drugstore and then boarded a bus together. Eckford later talked about her experience and said, “I tried to see a friendly face somewhere in the mob—someone who maybe would help. I looked into the face of an old woman and it seemed a kind face, but when I looked at her again, she spat on me,” (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=723). Shortly after the rest of the Little Rock Nine showed up but still couldn’t make it inside the school so they went back into the police cars and went home. Later that day president Eisenhower sent a telegram to Faubus asking the governor to cooperate, but refused to remove the troops so at that point the federal government stepped in. On September 24, 1957 the Little Rock Nine were finally able to go to school but even then the ridicule didn 't stop. Carlotta Walls LaNier who was apart of the Little Rock Nine explains that there were three different types of students that
attended Central, “ones easiest to identify. They were the tormentors, the cowards, the ones who used their evil efforts to push us out. They spat on us, kicked on us, pushed us into lockers and down stairs.” She explained that there was another small group of students that sympathized with the black students. Although they didn’t usually say anything, “you could see it in their eyes that said ‘sorry this is happening to you.’” But the biggest group of students were the ones that didn’t say or do anything. They acted as if “remaining neutral in the face of evil was a just choice” and “they chose not to see,” (Mayer). The amount of bravery these nine African American students had was astonishing. They would not let the angry segregationist or the bullies at school stop them from changing the way school systems work today.
The Little Rock Nine also played a part in gaining African American equality in the Civil Rights period. They showed that African Americans could fight for their rights and win. The Little rock nine brought media attention and public awareness to the problems that the country was facing with integration and showed the nation the extreme measures some people would take to protect segregation. The events at Central High inspired many lunch counter sit ins and Freedom Rides and inspired blacks to be more active in gaining their Civil Rights. On September 9, 1957, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, the first civil rights law since Reconstruction. The law gave the attorney general greater power over school desegregation. It also gave the federal government jurisdiction over violations of African-American voting rights.
The Little Rock Nine drastically changed how school systems work today but there is still an abundance of racism alive in our schools. The Little Rock Nine made it so that African-Americans can freely go to any school they want and thanks to the Civil Rights Act, African-American 's have the same freedoms as whites. But many African-American 's still get bullied based on their skin color. School racism is quite different from what it was in the 1960 's, now a days racism is usually in a form of cyber-bullying. Even in the school hallways of WHS there are many racial comments made, most are said jokingly amongst friends and others can be taken hurtfully. Carlotta Walls LaNier explains that she thinks our country has come a long way, but looks forward to the day when people are really considered equal. She stated, “unfortunately, there’s always someone that wants someone else below them, I do feel like we have come a long way, but I’m not saying it’s enough because it’s not” (LaNier). To conclude, the bravery of the Little Rock Nine made a big difference in gaining African American equality in the Civil Rights period, and led the way to how our school systems work today. They were nine brave kids that suffered through hate, and violence so that their grandchildren today can get the same education as whites do. The Little Rock Nine brought the idea of integration to people 's minds. Only four of the nine graduated from Central and after high school many went on to college to pursuit careers. The nine received the Congressional Metal of Honor in 1998 and recently connected again in 2009 for president Obama 's Inauguration. Racism is still a big problem in school systems today and it might be a while until people truly believe that everyone is equal. But if all students remember the struggles that the Little Rock Nine went through to gain educational equality maybe they wouldn’t take it for granted.
Works Cited
Danzer, Gerald A. The Americans. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.
"Little Rock desegregation crisis."American History. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.
“Little Rock Nine.” 2013. The History Channel website. Mar 6 2013, 8:23 http://www.history.comhttp://www.history.com/videos/little-rock-9.
"Little Rock Nine - Encyclopedia of Arkansas." Little Rock Nine - Encyclopedia of Arkansas. N.p., 9 Sept. 2010. Web. 04 Mar. 2013.
Mayer, Kathryn. "Member of ‘Little Rock Nine’ Describes Painful Segregation Experience." DU Today RSS. N.p., 16 Sept. 2010. Web. 06 Mar. 2013.
O 'Neil, Laurie. Little Rock: The Desegregation of Central High. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook, 1994. Print.
Wallace, Vaughn. "Life." LIFE. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2013.
Rights period, and led the way to how our school systems work today.
The bravery of the Little Rock Nine was greater than any teenage kid of their time. First off, The night before the first day of school Governor Faubus announced on statewide television that if integration was carried out “blood will run the streets… I have called out the National Guard, the soldiers will not act as segregationists or integrationists, but will maintain order and protect the lives and property of citizens” (O’Neil 28). So the nine postponed their first day and was to wait until September 4th. Daisy Bates, who was a civil rights activist, president of the Arkansas National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and protector of the Little Rock Nine, asked for a police escort for the students on their first day of school. She informed almost all of the kids to meet her a few blocks away from the school that morning except for Elizabeth Eckford, who didn 't have a telephone at the time. So Elizabeth went off to school by herself while the other kids went to meet Daisy. Once Elizabeth stepped off the bus she was greeted by and angry mob of segregationist protestors. Some protesters waved Confederate flags and others held offensive signs.
The soldiers would not let her inside the school and held rifles inches from her face. She tried to go to the city bus stop but the mob followed and taunted her. Grace Lorch, a white NAACP member, led Elizabeth to a nearby drugstore and then boarded a bus together. Eckford later talked about her experience and said, “I tried to see a friendly face somewhere in the mob—someone who maybe would help. I looked into the face of an old woman and it seemed a kind face, but when I looked at her again, she spat on me,” (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=723). Shortly after the rest of the Little Rock Nine showed up but still couldn’t make it inside the school so they went back into the police cars and went home. Later that day president Eisenhower sent a telegram to Faubus asking the governor to cooperate, but refused to remove the troops so at that point the federal government stepped in. On September 24, 1957 the Little Rock Nine were finally able to go to school but even then the ridicule didn 't stop. Carlotta Walls LaNier who was apart of the Little Rock Nine explains that there were three different types of students that
attended Central, “ones easiest to identify. They were the tormentors, the cowards, the ones who used their evil efforts to push us out. They spat on us, kicked on us, pushed us into lockers and down stairs.” She explained that there was another small group of students that sympathized with the black students. Although they didn’t usually say anything, “you could see it in their eyes that said ‘sorry this is happening to you.’” But the biggest group of students were the ones that didn’t say or do anything. They acted as if “remaining neutral in the face of evil was a just choice” and “they chose not to see,” (Mayer). The amount of bravery these nine African American students had was astonishing. They would not let the angry segregationist or the bullies at school stop them from changing the way school systems work today.
The Little Rock Nine also played a part in gaining African American equality in the Civil Rights period. They showed that African Americans could fight for their rights and win. The Little rock nine brought media attention and public awareness to the problems that the country was facing with integration and showed the nation the extreme measures some people would take to protect segregation. The events at Central High inspired many lunch counter sit ins and Freedom Rides and inspired blacks to be more active in gaining their Civil Rights. On September 9, 1957, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, the first civil rights law since Reconstruction. The law gave the attorney general greater power over school desegregation. It also gave the federal government jurisdiction over violations of African-American voting rights.
The Little Rock Nine drastically changed how school systems work today but there is still an abundance of racism alive in our schools. The Little Rock Nine made it so that African-Americans can freely go to any school they want and thanks to the Civil Rights Act, African-American 's have the same freedoms as whites. But many African-American 's still get bullied based on their skin color. School racism is quite different from what it was in the 1960 's, now a days racism is usually in a form of cyber-bullying. Even in the school hallways of WHS there are many racial comments made, most are said jokingly amongst friends and others can be taken hurtfully. Carlotta Walls LaNier explains that she thinks our country has come a long way, but looks forward to the day when people are really considered equal. She stated, “unfortunately, there’s always someone that wants someone else below them, I do feel like we have come a long way, but I’m not saying it’s enough because it’s not” (LaNier). To conclude, the bravery of the Little Rock Nine made a big difference in gaining African American equality in the Civil Rights period, and led the way to how our school systems work today. They were nine brave kids that suffered through hate, and violence so that their grandchildren today can get the same education as whites do. The Little Rock Nine brought the idea of integration to people 's minds. Only four of the nine graduated from Central and after high school many went on to college to pursuit careers. The nine received the Congressional Metal of Honor in 1998 and recently connected again in 2009 for president Obama 's Inauguration. Racism is still a big problem in school systems today and it might be a while until people truly believe that everyone is equal. But if all students remember the struggles that the Little Rock Nine went through to gain educational equality maybe they wouldn’t take it for granted.
Works Cited
Danzer, Gerald A. The Americans. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin, 1998. Print.
"Little Rock desegregation crisis."American History. ABC-CLIO, 2013. Web. 6 Mar. 2013.
“Little Rock Nine.” 2013. The History Channel website. Mar 6 2013, 8:23 http://www.history.comhttp://www.history.com/videos/little-rock-9.
"Little Rock Nine - Encyclopedia of Arkansas." Little Rock Nine - Encyclopedia of Arkansas. N.p., 9 Sept. 2010. Web. 04 Mar. 2013.
Mayer, Kathryn. "Member of ‘Little Rock Nine’ Describes Painful Segregation Experience." DU Today RSS. N.p., 16 Sept. 2010. Web. 06 Mar. 2013.
O 'Neil, Laurie. Little Rock: The Desegregation of Central High. Brookfield, CT: Millbrook, 1994. Print.
Wallace, Vaughn. "Life." LIFE. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Mar. 2013.