Why did Eisenhower send the National Guard to Little Rock?
1 answer
Eisenhower sent the National Guard to Little Rock in 1957 to enforce the desegregation of Central High School, which had been ordered by the Supreme Court in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case in 1954. Governor Orval Faubus had refused to comply with the court's ruling and ordered the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine African American students from entering the school. In response, Eisenhower federalized the National Guard and sent in troops to protect the students and ensure their safety. This event became known as the Little Rock Crisis.