Little Rock High School

What year did the Little Rock Nine enter the high school?

1957

What was the Little Rock Nine?

9 black students who joined the school

How was the Little Rock Nine chosen?

75 black students applied to join the school, 25 were accepted, and all but 9 families were intimidated by threats from white people

Where is Little Rock?

Arkansas

Is Little Rock in the north or south of the USA?

South

Who was the state governor at this time?

Orval Faubus

What did Faubus do after the Brown verdict?

Fiercly opposed school integration

What did Faubus do in 1958?

Closed every school in Little Rock

How long did the school closures last?

A year

What made Faubus reopen the schools?

Pressure from parents

When did the Little Rock Nine first go in?

4th September (a day after the start of the new school term)

What did Faubus do to prevent the Little Rock Nine from entering the high school?

Sent 250 state troops to surround the school and claimed it was to ‘keep the peace’

Which member of the Little Rock Nine did not know to enter with the rest of the group?

Elizabeth Eckford

What happened to Elizabeth Eckford?

Targeted by the crowd and racially abused

How old was Elizabeth Eckford?

17

What happened to Faubus’ troops?

Forced to be withdrawn

Who was president at this time?

Eisenhower

What did Eisenhower do?

Sent federal troops to ensure the black students could attend school without being attacked

Why did Eisenhower get involved?

Worldwide media coverae

Did any of the students graduate?

One - but white students refuse to sit with him at the ceremony

Why was Little Rock important in the campaign for desegregation?

* Drew international attention to racism in America
* Allowed campaigners to test out what would happen when black students first attended a white school
* Faubus received negative publicity
* Eisenhower was forced to get involved