Effects of the Segregation:
Introduction: 1957 - The Little Rock Nine
In September 1957, nine black children in Little Rock, Arkansas, try to attend classes at Central High School. They are put off initially by legal maneuvers by the governor, and angry mobs. President Dwight D.Eisenhower sends in troops to ensure the safe entry of the Little Rock Nine, and the students return to enrol at the school. One student, Elizabeth Eckford, gets separated from the others on the first day of classes and faces an angry mob alone.
The above actions of the Little Rock Nine had many effects on the Civil Rights Movement in the United States of America.
The Civil Rights Movement started at around 1957, and ended in the 1990's. A main effect was public awareness. This was brought on by the media attention the Little Rock Nine attracted, the government assistance that was sent from the Northern States, and the loss of credibility from Arkansas' actions.
Majority of the public, being aware of the situation, decided to let their voices be heard through protests. This was two sided – the number of whites who were against de-segregation displayed anger, resistance, and violence. For example Daisy Bates, who initiated the Little Rock Nine, endured threats including a rock thrown into her living room window. However, the number of blacks who were for de-segregation expressed their views by marching without violence or threat to the whites. Most were adamant that they keep their dignity, following Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy of non-violent protest.
After the students were rejected by the Arkansas legal enforcements, for example the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education 2., the Northern States sent government assistance in the form of 1000 soldiers. President Eisenhower ordered the soldiers to protect the nine African American students, and to enforce the law... ''(Study Mode: Effects OF Action The Little Rock Nine)''.
Fifty Years Later, Little Rock Assesses Effects of '57 Desegretation Crisis
Newswise — Fifty years after nine black students integrated Little Rock's Central High School, more blacks than whites in the city and surrounding Pulaski County believe that the integration crisis has had a positive effect on race relations today.
On the Impact of the Movement
The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi brought about tremendous changes. No longer were blacks denied the right to vote, to eat, shop, and swim where they pleased, and more importantly, to attend integrated schools. The movement instilled in black Mississippians a sense of pride not seen since the days of Reconstruction. Having opened up the Magnolia state to the rest of the world, civil rights activists succeeded in demonstrating the power of nonviolent direct action.
Despite its many accomplishments, however, the civil rights movement had its shortcomings. For example, many people, both young and old, lost their lives, homes, jobs, and families. Still other individuals were so damaged by psychological trauma that they ceased being productive members of the community. The movement left intact the economic inequities that had contributed to the maintenance of segregation. And finally, racism remained alive and well long after the movement's end. Like most movements of its kind, the civil rights movement left behind a mixed legacy of triumph and tragedy. Nevertheless, it changed the way blacks and whites thought of themselves, and therefore helped to advance the cause of social equality.''(On The Impact Of The Movement)''.
The Effects Of Civil The Civil Rights Movement of The 1960's
The civil rights movement of the 1960s saw the continuation and escalation of protests by African Americans against the racial inequalities then prevalent in many southern states. Almost a century after the Emancipation Proclamation, Black Americans in the 1960s faced many forms of prejudice, disenfranchisement, segregation and violence. Many localities and state legislatures employed "Jim Crow Laws" which set segregation in legal stone. These laws formed part of the "separate but equal" doctrine struck down by the Supreme Court in 1954, drawing attention to the plight of black Americans. Over the next 15 years, civil rights activists used nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to force the federal government to legislate for change.
The civil rights movement led to several major legislative changes at the federal government level. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 came after several major protests led by Martin Luther King. It outlawed segregation in public facilities and racial discrimination in employment. The act failed to force uniform voting standards on state governments, however, so many African Americans remained disenfranchised. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 went some way to changing that and gave many more black people the right to vote''(e How: The Effects Of The Civil Rights Movement Of The 1960's)''.
Legacy
The troubles at the end of the 1960s led to a decline in protests during the early part of the 1970s, and racial discrimination has continued to remain a factor in many areas of American life. The civil rights movement, however, changed the shape of American society in the long term. It gave African Americans more opportunities in education and politics, leading to the election of a black president in 2008. It also de-institutionalized discrimination and brought the fight for equality to the attention of the masses. In addition to the legislative concessions it won, the civil rights movement changed America culturally. While discrimination persists in some areas, it is no longer widely acceptable''(e How: The Effects Of The Civil Rights Movement Of The 1960's)''.
The 1957-1958 School Year: History of Little Rock Public Schools Desegregation, Timeline
September, 1949
University of Arkansas School of Law is integrated.
January, 1951
Little Rock Public Library board approves integrating its facilities.
May 17, 1954
The U.S. Supreme Court rules racial segregation in the public schools is unconstitutional in Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.
May 22, 1954
The Little Rock School Board issues a policy statement saying it will comply with the Supreme Court's decision when the Court outlines the method to be followed and the time to be allowed.
May 24, 1955
The School Board votes unanimously to adopt Superintendent Virgil Blossom's plan of gradual integration that would start in September, 1957, at the high school level and add the lower grades over the next six years. Mr. Blossom is named "Man of the Year" by the Arkansas Democrat for his work on desegregation.
January 23, 1956
Twenty-seven black students attempt to register in all-white Little Rock schools, but are turned down.
February 8, 1956
The NAACP files suit on behalf of 33 black children denied admittance to four white schools.
August 28, 1956
Federal Judge John E. Miller dismisses the NAACP suit, declaring the Little Rock School Board had acted in "utmost good faith" in its integration plan. The NAACP files an appeal.
Fall, 1956
The city's public buses quietly are desegregated with no problems.
April 29, 1957
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis upholds Judge Miller's dismissal.
Spring, 1957
There were 517 black students who lived in the Central High district and were eligible to attend Central in the fall. Eighty expressed an interest in doing so. Following interviews with the Superintendent and staff, 17 are selected for the first year of integration at Central. Eight of those later decide to remain at all-black Horace Mann High School.
Summer, 1957
With desegregation scheduled for September, opponents organize the Capital Citizens Council and the Mother's League of Central High School.
August 27, 1957
A member of the Mother's League files a motion seeking a temporary injunction against school integration. Pulaski County Chancellor Murray Reed grants the injunction "on the grounds that integration could lead to violence."
August 30, 1957
Federal District Judge Ronald Davies nullifies the injunction.
September 2, 1957
Governor Orval Faubus calls out the Arkansas National Guard to surround Little Rock Central High School to preserve the peace and avert violence that may be caused by extremists who came to Little Rock "in caravans."
September 3, 1957
Judge Davies orders desegregation to start the next day.
September 4, 1957
The nine black students attempt to enter Central High but are turned away by the National Guard.
September 9, 1957
The Council of Church Women issues a statement opposing segregation and deploring the Governor's calling out the guard. It calls for a citywide prayer service for September 12.
September 20, 1957
Judge Davies rules that Faubus had used the troops to prevent integration, not to preserve law and order as he claimed. The Governor removes the Guardsmen and the Little Rock Police Department takes over.
September 23, 1957
As a crowd of 1,000 mills around in front of the school, the nine black students go inside through a side door. A white student takes them to the principal's office where they are to receive their class assignments. When the mob learns the students are inside, it becomes unruly and the police fear they will be unable to maintain control. The black students are taken out of the school through a side door.
September 24, 1957
Little Rock Mayor Woodrow Mann sends President Eisenhower a telegram asking for federal troops to maintain order and complete the integration process. The President announces he is sending 1,000 members of the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock. He federalizes the 10,000-man Arkansas National Guard.
September 25, 1957
Under escort by the Army troops, the nine black students are escorted back into Central High.
October 3, 1957
Georgia Dortch and Jane Emery, editors of Central High's student newspaper The Tiger, editorialize: "Looking back on this year will probably be with regret that integration could not have been accomplished peacefully, without incident, without publicity." The editors encourage "each individual to maintain a sensible, peaceful neutrality; to accept the situation without demonstration, no matter what personal views are entertained; and to make these, your years in Little Rock Central High School, the happiest and most fruitful of your academic education."
October 17, 1957
A Mother's League petition to remove the federal troops who are there in violation of state and federal constitutions is dismissed by Judge Davies.
December, 1957
Taunted by white male students, Minnijean Brown, one of the black students, dumps a bowl of chili on her antagonists in the cafeteria. She is suspended for six days.
February 6, 1958
Following additional altercations with white students, Minnijean Brown is suspended by the Board of Education for the remainder of the school year. She transferred to New Lincoln High School in New York City.
February 20, 1958
The Little Rock School Board files a request for permission to delay integration until the concept of "all deliberate speed" is defined and until effective legal means exists for integrating the schools without impairing the quality of the educational programs.
May 1, 1958
Central Principal Jess W. Matthews writes to the Seniors of 1958 in the school yearbook, "The graduating Class of 1958 will always stand out in my memory because...the class as a whole reacted so admirably to the shock of having the eyes of the world focused on the school...and the class united in a very cooperative way to leave a fine record of achievement in Central in a year that will no doubt be mentioned in history books for a long time to come."
May 27, 1958
Ernest Green becomes the first black student to graduate from Central High as he joins 600 senior classmates in commencement ceremonies at Quigley Stadium. Federal troops and city police are on hand but the event goes perfectly.
June 21, 1957
Federal District Judge Harry Lemley grants the delay of integration until January, 1961, stating that while black students have a constitutional right to attend white schools, the "time has not come for them to enjoy that right." the NAACP appeals.
August 18, 1958
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis reverses the Lemley delay order.
August 21, 1958
The School Board requests the Appeals Court to stay the order overturning Judge Lemley's decision for 30 days to allow the board time to appeal to the Supreme Court.
August 25, 1958
The U.S. Supreme Court announces a special session to discuss the Little Rock school desegregation issue.
August, 1958
Governor Faubus calls a special session of the state legislature to pass a law allowing him to close public schools to avoid integration and to lease the closed schools to private school corporations.
September 12, 1958
The Supreme Court rules that Little Rock must continue with its integration plan. The School Board announces the opening of the city's high schools on September 15. Governor Faubus orders Little Rock's three high schools closed.
September 16, 1958
The Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools is formed and asks for a special election as a way to keep the schools open.
September 27, 1958
Voters overwhelmingly oppose integration by a vote of 7,561 for and 129,470 against.
September, 1958
Public high schools in Little Rock close for the year, sending the city's 3,698 high school students to seek alternatives. More than 750 whites enroll in newly established private T.J. Raney High School. Others leave town or the state to live with friends or relatives to continue their education.
November 12, 1958
Five of the six members of the Little Rock School Board resign in frustration, having been ordered by a federal appeals court to proceed with integration of the high schools, even though it had no high schools to integrate.
December 6, 1958
A new school board was elected with its membership evenly divided between those favoring compliance and those favoring resistance to the court's orders.
March, 1959
Little Rock Chamber of Commerce votes 819 to 245 in favor of reopening the schools on a controlled minimum plan of integration acceptable to the federal courts.
May 5, 1959
Segregationist members of the School Board attempt to fire 44 teachers and administrators suspected of integrationist sympathies. The three moderates on the board walked out, refusing to participate.
May 8, 1959
Stop This Outrageous Purge, or STOP, and the Women's Emergency Committee are formed to recall the segregationist members of the board. On the other side, segregationists form Committee to Retain Our Segregated Schools (CROSS).
May 25, 1959
STOP wins the recall election by a narrow margin and the three segregationists are replaced by moderates on the School Board.
June 18, 1959
Federal court declared the state's school-closing law unconstitutional. The new school board announced it would reopen the high schools in the fall.
August 12, 1959
School board opens public high schools a month early. Three black girls quietly attend the new Hall High School in the upper income all-white area of west Little Rock with no fanfare. Governor Faubus addresses a segregationist rally at the state Capitol and guardedly advised them against any "rambunctious protest." Carrying American flags, about 250 people then marched to Central High to protest. This time Little Rock police take the offensive, quickly arresting 21 and calling in fire hoses to be turned on the remaining crowd, which dispersed. Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls, two of the original Little Rock Nine, return to Central for their senior year.
Fall, 1972
All grades in Little Rock public schools are finally integrated.
September 28, 1977
At the 20th anniversary of the desegregation crisis, Ralph G. Brodie, the '57-58 student body president, spoke a special occasion at Central where he paid tribute to the "moderate, quiet voices" who urged compliance with the law and an end to the crisis that eventually closed the four high schools at Little Rock for a year. He said only a small group of Little Rock residents were responsible for the city's bigoted, violent and prejudiced image, adding, "But for most of us, that image remains entirely undeserved." He addressed three of the Little Rock Nine who were present: "You've done much to assure the rights of others. Yours were acts of courage, and I salute you."
October 24, 1987
Thirty years after first entering Central High, the Little Rock Nine returned as a group for the first time. They were met by Lottie Shackelford, Little Rock's second black mayor. Central High cheerleaders and other students-black and white-broke into applause. Melba Pattillo Beals said, "What we feel this morning is joyous that we made it, and sad that we had to make it." Benjamin L. Hooks, NAACP executive director, said, "We don't come to open old wounds, but rather to celebrate and commemorate the great moment in history that changed the course of this nation and changed it for the better."(The 1957-1958 School Year: History of Little Rock Public Schools Desegregation)''.
In September 1957, nine black children in Little Rock, Arkansas, try to attend classes at Central High School. They are put off initially by legal maneuvers by the governor, and angry mobs. President Dwight D.Eisenhower sends in troops to ensure the safe entry of the Little Rock Nine, and the students return to enrol at the school. One student, Elizabeth Eckford, gets separated from the others on the first day of classes and faces an angry mob alone.
The above actions of the Little Rock Nine had many effects on the Civil Rights Movement in the United States of America.
The Civil Rights Movement started at around 1957, and ended in the 1990's. A main effect was public awareness. This was brought on by the media attention the Little Rock Nine attracted, the government assistance that was sent from the Northern States, and the loss of credibility from Arkansas' actions.
Majority of the public, being aware of the situation, decided to let their voices be heard through protests. This was two sided – the number of whites who were against de-segregation displayed anger, resistance, and violence. For example Daisy Bates, who initiated the Little Rock Nine, endured threats including a rock thrown into her living room window. However, the number of blacks who were for de-segregation expressed their views by marching without violence or threat to the whites. Most were adamant that they keep their dignity, following Martin Luther King Jr.'s philosophy of non-violent protest.
After the students were rejected by the Arkansas legal enforcements, for example the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education 2., the Northern States sent government assistance in the form of 1000 soldiers. President Eisenhower ordered the soldiers to protect the nine African American students, and to enforce the law... ''(Study Mode: Effects OF Action The Little Rock Nine)''.
Fifty Years Later, Little Rock Assesses Effects of '57 Desegretation Crisis
Newswise — Fifty years after nine black students integrated Little Rock's Central High School, more blacks than whites in the city and surrounding Pulaski County believe that the integration crisis has had a positive effect on race relations today.
On the Impact of the Movement
The Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi brought about tremendous changes. No longer were blacks denied the right to vote, to eat, shop, and swim where they pleased, and more importantly, to attend integrated schools. The movement instilled in black Mississippians a sense of pride not seen since the days of Reconstruction. Having opened up the Magnolia state to the rest of the world, civil rights activists succeeded in demonstrating the power of nonviolent direct action.
Despite its many accomplishments, however, the civil rights movement had its shortcomings. For example, many people, both young and old, lost their lives, homes, jobs, and families. Still other individuals were so damaged by psychological trauma that they ceased being productive members of the community. The movement left intact the economic inequities that had contributed to the maintenance of segregation. And finally, racism remained alive and well long after the movement's end. Like most movements of its kind, the civil rights movement left behind a mixed legacy of triumph and tragedy. Nevertheless, it changed the way blacks and whites thought of themselves, and therefore helped to advance the cause of social equality.''(On The Impact Of The Movement)''.
The Effects Of Civil The Civil Rights Movement of The 1960's
The civil rights movement of the 1960s saw the continuation and escalation of protests by African Americans against the racial inequalities then prevalent in many southern states. Almost a century after the Emancipation Proclamation, Black Americans in the 1960s faced many forms of prejudice, disenfranchisement, segregation and violence. Many localities and state legislatures employed "Jim Crow Laws" which set segregation in legal stone. These laws formed part of the "separate but equal" doctrine struck down by the Supreme Court in 1954, drawing attention to the plight of black Americans. Over the next 15 years, civil rights activists used nonviolent protest and civil disobedience to force the federal government to legislate for change.
The civil rights movement led to several major legislative changes at the federal government level. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 came after several major protests led by Martin Luther King. It outlawed segregation in public facilities and racial discrimination in employment. The act failed to force uniform voting standards on state governments, however, so many African Americans remained disenfranchised. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 went some way to changing that and gave many more black people the right to vote''(e How: The Effects Of The Civil Rights Movement Of The 1960's)''.
Legacy
The troubles at the end of the 1960s led to a decline in protests during the early part of the 1970s, and racial discrimination has continued to remain a factor in many areas of American life. The civil rights movement, however, changed the shape of American society in the long term. It gave African Americans more opportunities in education and politics, leading to the election of a black president in 2008. It also de-institutionalized discrimination and brought the fight for equality to the attention of the masses. In addition to the legislative concessions it won, the civil rights movement changed America culturally. While discrimination persists in some areas, it is no longer widely acceptable''(e How: The Effects Of The Civil Rights Movement Of The 1960's)''.
The 1957-1958 School Year: History of Little Rock Public Schools Desegregation, Timeline
September, 1949
University of Arkansas School of Law is integrated.
January, 1951
Little Rock Public Library board approves integrating its facilities.
May 17, 1954
The U.S. Supreme Court rules racial segregation in the public schools is unconstitutional in Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.
May 22, 1954
The Little Rock School Board issues a policy statement saying it will comply with the Supreme Court's decision when the Court outlines the method to be followed and the time to be allowed.
May 24, 1955
The School Board votes unanimously to adopt Superintendent Virgil Blossom's plan of gradual integration that would start in September, 1957, at the high school level and add the lower grades over the next six years. Mr. Blossom is named "Man of the Year" by the Arkansas Democrat for his work on desegregation.
January 23, 1956
Twenty-seven black students attempt to register in all-white Little Rock schools, but are turned down.
February 8, 1956
The NAACP files suit on behalf of 33 black children denied admittance to four white schools.
August 28, 1956
Federal Judge John E. Miller dismisses the NAACP suit, declaring the Little Rock School Board had acted in "utmost good faith" in its integration plan. The NAACP files an appeal.
Fall, 1956
The city's public buses quietly are desegregated with no problems.
April 29, 1957
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis upholds Judge Miller's dismissal.
Spring, 1957
There were 517 black students who lived in the Central High district and were eligible to attend Central in the fall. Eighty expressed an interest in doing so. Following interviews with the Superintendent and staff, 17 are selected for the first year of integration at Central. Eight of those later decide to remain at all-black Horace Mann High School.
Summer, 1957
With desegregation scheduled for September, opponents organize the Capital Citizens Council and the Mother's League of Central High School.
August 27, 1957
A member of the Mother's League files a motion seeking a temporary injunction against school integration. Pulaski County Chancellor Murray Reed grants the injunction "on the grounds that integration could lead to violence."
August 30, 1957
Federal District Judge Ronald Davies nullifies the injunction.
September 2, 1957
Governor Orval Faubus calls out the Arkansas National Guard to surround Little Rock Central High School to preserve the peace and avert violence that may be caused by extremists who came to Little Rock "in caravans."
September 3, 1957
Judge Davies orders desegregation to start the next day.
September 4, 1957
The nine black students attempt to enter Central High but are turned away by the National Guard.
September 9, 1957
The Council of Church Women issues a statement opposing segregation and deploring the Governor's calling out the guard. It calls for a citywide prayer service for September 12.
September 20, 1957
Judge Davies rules that Faubus had used the troops to prevent integration, not to preserve law and order as he claimed. The Governor removes the Guardsmen and the Little Rock Police Department takes over.
September 23, 1957
As a crowd of 1,000 mills around in front of the school, the nine black students go inside through a side door. A white student takes them to the principal's office where they are to receive their class assignments. When the mob learns the students are inside, it becomes unruly and the police fear they will be unable to maintain control. The black students are taken out of the school through a side door.
September 24, 1957
Little Rock Mayor Woodrow Mann sends President Eisenhower a telegram asking for federal troops to maintain order and complete the integration process. The President announces he is sending 1,000 members of the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock. He federalizes the 10,000-man Arkansas National Guard.
September 25, 1957
Under escort by the Army troops, the nine black students are escorted back into Central High.
October 3, 1957
Georgia Dortch and Jane Emery, editors of Central High's student newspaper The Tiger, editorialize: "Looking back on this year will probably be with regret that integration could not have been accomplished peacefully, without incident, without publicity." The editors encourage "each individual to maintain a sensible, peaceful neutrality; to accept the situation without demonstration, no matter what personal views are entertained; and to make these, your years in Little Rock Central High School, the happiest and most fruitful of your academic education."
October 17, 1957
A Mother's League petition to remove the federal troops who are there in violation of state and federal constitutions is dismissed by Judge Davies.
December, 1957
Taunted by white male students, Minnijean Brown, one of the black students, dumps a bowl of chili on her antagonists in the cafeteria. She is suspended for six days.
February 6, 1958
Following additional altercations with white students, Minnijean Brown is suspended by the Board of Education for the remainder of the school year. She transferred to New Lincoln High School in New York City.
February 20, 1958
The Little Rock School Board files a request for permission to delay integration until the concept of "all deliberate speed" is defined and until effective legal means exists for integrating the schools without impairing the quality of the educational programs.
May 1, 1958
Central Principal Jess W. Matthews writes to the Seniors of 1958 in the school yearbook, "The graduating Class of 1958 will always stand out in my memory because...the class as a whole reacted so admirably to the shock of having the eyes of the world focused on the school...and the class united in a very cooperative way to leave a fine record of achievement in Central in a year that will no doubt be mentioned in history books for a long time to come."
May 27, 1958
Ernest Green becomes the first black student to graduate from Central High as he joins 600 senior classmates in commencement ceremonies at Quigley Stadium. Federal troops and city police are on hand but the event goes perfectly.
June 21, 1957
Federal District Judge Harry Lemley grants the delay of integration until January, 1961, stating that while black students have a constitutional right to attend white schools, the "time has not come for them to enjoy that right." the NAACP appeals.
August 18, 1958
The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis reverses the Lemley delay order.
August 21, 1958
The School Board requests the Appeals Court to stay the order overturning Judge Lemley's decision for 30 days to allow the board time to appeal to the Supreme Court.
August 25, 1958
The U.S. Supreme Court announces a special session to discuss the Little Rock school desegregation issue.
August, 1958
Governor Faubus calls a special session of the state legislature to pass a law allowing him to close public schools to avoid integration and to lease the closed schools to private school corporations.
September 12, 1958
The Supreme Court rules that Little Rock must continue with its integration plan. The School Board announces the opening of the city's high schools on September 15. Governor Faubus orders Little Rock's three high schools closed.
September 16, 1958
The Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools is formed and asks for a special election as a way to keep the schools open.
September 27, 1958
Voters overwhelmingly oppose integration by a vote of 7,561 for and 129,470 against.
September, 1958
Public high schools in Little Rock close for the year, sending the city's 3,698 high school students to seek alternatives. More than 750 whites enroll in newly established private T.J. Raney High School. Others leave town or the state to live with friends or relatives to continue their education.
November 12, 1958
Five of the six members of the Little Rock School Board resign in frustration, having been ordered by a federal appeals court to proceed with integration of the high schools, even though it had no high schools to integrate.
December 6, 1958
A new school board was elected with its membership evenly divided between those favoring compliance and those favoring resistance to the court's orders.
March, 1959
Little Rock Chamber of Commerce votes 819 to 245 in favor of reopening the schools on a controlled minimum plan of integration acceptable to the federal courts.
May 5, 1959
Segregationist members of the School Board attempt to fire 44 teachers and administrators suspected of integrationist sympathies. The three moderates on the board walked out, refusing to participate.
May 8, 1959
Stop This Outrageous Purge, or STOP, and the Women's Emergency Committee are formed to recall the segregationist members of the board. On the other side, segregationists form Committee to Retain Our Segregated Schools (CROSS).
May 25, 1959
STOP wins the recall election by a narrow margin and the three segregationists are replaced by moderates on the School Board.
June 18, 1959
Federal court declared the state's school-closing law unconstitutional. The new school board announced it would reopen the high schools in the fall.
August 12, 1959
School board opens public high schools a month early. Three black girls quietly attend the new Hall High School in the upper income all-white area of west Little Rock with no fanfare. Governor Faubus addresses a segregationist rally at the state Capitol and guardedly advised them against any "rambunctious protest." Carrying American flags, about 250 people then marched to Central High to protest. This time Little Rock police take the offensive, quickly arresting 21 and calling in fire hoses to be turned on the remaining crowd, which dispersed. Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls, two of the original Little Rock Nine, return to Central for their senior year.
Fall, 1972
All grades in Little Rock public schools are finally integrated.
September 28, 1977
At the 20th anniversary of the desegregation crisis, Ralph G. Brodie, the '57-58 student body president, spoke a special occasion at Central where he paid tribute to the "moderate, quiet voices" who urged compliance with the law and an end to the crisis that eventually closed the four high schools at Little Rock for a year. He said only a small group of Little Rock residents were responsible for the city's bigoted, violent and prejudiced image, adding, "But for most of us, that image remains entirely undeserved." He addressed three of the Little Rock Nine who were present: "You've done much to assure the rights of others. Yours were acts of courage, and I salute you."
October 24, 1987
Thirty years after first entering Central High, the Little Rock Nine returned as a group for the first time. They were met by Lottie Shackelford, Little Rock's second black mayor. Central High cheerleaders and other students-black and white-broke into applause. Melba Pattillo Beals said, "What we feel this morning is joyous that we made it, and sad that we had to make it." Benjamin L. Hooks, NAACP executive director, said, "We don't come to open old wounds, but rather to celebrate and commemorate the great moment in history that changed the course of this nation and changed it for the better."(The 1957-1958 School Year: History of Little Rock Public Schools Desegregation)''.