Progress in Education-The Little Rock Nine, 1957 (AQA GCSE History)
Revision Note
How Significant were the Little Rock Nine for the Civil Rights Movement? - Timeline & Summary
The Little Rock Nine media coverage brought attention to the ongoing struggle for racial equality in the USA. Many US citizens were shocked by the way white Americans racially abused African-Americans children. It also highlighted the methods that the Southern governments had used to stop integration. The experiences of the Little Rock Nine showed the need for civil rights organisations to continue fighting for equality.
Racism continued to be an ongoing problem in Little Rock High School. When the first black student graduated from the school in 1958, white students refused to sit next to him in the graduation ceremony. This experience was common among many schools in the Deep South. Black students in the 1960s continued to suffer from violence, threats and exclusion from many white students and teachers.
Who were the Little Rock Nine?
In 1957, Little Rock High School in Arkansas was forced to desegregate
The Brown vs Topeka ruling stated that desegregated schools were unconstitutional
The Governor of Arkansas was called Orval Faubus
Faubus was a strong opponent of school desegregation
Arkansas, a southern state, wanted to keep segregated schools
The Little Rock School Board selected 25 African-Americans students to attend Little Rock High School
About 75 African-Americans students originally applied
White families and racist organisations targeted the families of the 25 students
They threatened violent attacks on the students if they attempted to attend the school in September
By September 1957, only nine black students were planning to register at Little Rock High School
Civil rights campaigners nicknamed the students the ‘Little Rock Nine’
Exam Tip
The Little Rock Nine are key figures in the AQA America 1920-1973: Opportunity and Inequality course. You should focus some of your revision on identifying other important people in this course. The exam could ask you about a key group in multiple ways:
You could be given an interpretation of the Little Rock Nine. Knowing the key figures could help you analyse why the interpretation has a particular opinion. It will also help you to decide which interpretation you trust more on the focus of the question
You may need to use the key group as evidence for a longer 8- or 12-mark question. You could explain in what ways an event impacted a period. It could also be to decide and justify which reason is the most important
Events at Little Rock, 1957
How Did Eisenhower Resolve the Events at Little Rock?
Eisenhower had a difficult decision to make about how to react to the events in Little Rock
Factors motivating Eisenhower’s decision
Use federal powers in Little Rock | Do nothing |
|---|---|
Eisenhower wanted to improve Black civil rights in the USA | Eisenhower worried that any federal action would cause violent protests to desegregation in the Deep South |
Eisenhower knew that the events in Little Rock made the USA look bad to the world | Congress would disapprove of Eisenhower's intervening in state affairs |
Eisenhower’s presidential order
Pressure from the NAACP, district judges and Eisenhower forced Faubus to remove the state troops from Little Rock High School on 23rd September
On 24th September, Eisenhower signed a presidential order
He did not require the approval of Congress
He sent 1,000 federal troops to Little Rock to ensure that:
The Little Rock Nine could attend the school safely
Little Rock remained law-abiding
In May 1958, Governor Faubus was so angry that he closed all schools in Little Rock
Parental pressure forced Faubus to re-open the schools in September 1959
Worked Example
Which of the following had more impact on African-Americans in the 1950s:
Brown vs Board of Education, Topeka, Kansas
The Little Rock Nine
Explain your answer with reference to both bullet points
[12 marks]
Partial answer:
Overall, I believe that Brown vs Topeka had the most impact on African-Americans (1). This is because it was a landmark case that began the desegregation of schools. Without Brown vs Topeka, the Little Rock Nine would not have been able to attend an integrated school. Brown vs Topeka had more long-term impacts on the opportunities available to African-Americans. It also forced southern states resistant to integration to desegregate the education system (1).
Exam Tip
The example above is a conclusion to this question. You may notice that it examines the long-term impacts of Brown vs Topeka and the significance of this event. This means that the conclusion is justified with evidence.
To complete this answer, you should add two or three well-explained PEEL paragraphs that explains how Brown vs Topeka, the Little Rock Nine and an event of your choice impacted African-Americans in the 1950s.
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