Question

The Civil Rights Movement Begins Quiz
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In 3–5 sentences, summarize the event of the Little Rock Nine and analyze its significance in the history of civil rights in the United States.

Answer 1

In September 1957 nine Black students—later known as the Little Rock Nine—attempted to integrate Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas and were met by white mobs and by Governor Orval Faubus’s use of the state National Guard to block their entry. President Dwight D. Eisenhower federalized the Guard and sent the 101st Airborne to escort and protect the students so the court-ordered desegregation from Brown v. Board of Education could proceed. The crisis tested federal authority to enforce civil rights and showed that Supreme Court rulings required executive backing to become reality. The bravery of the students and the national attention the incident drew galvanized the civil rights movement and exposed the depth of Southern resistance to desegregation.