Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
What happened at Little Rock Central High School?
Black Americans campaigning for their rights faced great difficulties and dangers. Here is just
one example.
In 1951 in Topeka, Kansas, a black girl named Linda Brown had to walk one mile to get to her
black elementary school, even though a white elementary school was nearby. Her father,
Oliver Brown, tried to enrol her in the local white school, but the principal of the school refused.
Schools were rigidly segregated (separated according to race). White schools had better buildings, equipment and facilities. Much less money was spent by the state on education for black
children.
Brown asked his local branch of the NAACP (National Society for the Advancement of
Coloured People) to help. They took the Board of Education to court in 1952. The Brown case
was joined with similar cases in South Carolina, Delaware, Kansas, the District of Columbia
and Virginia. More than 200 people brought similar court actions in these states. In court, the
NAACP argued that segregated schools implied that black children were inferior to white children. Separate meant unequal. They argued that this was wrong.
In May 1954 segregated schools were made illegal. The Supreme Court overturned the 'separate but equal' principle set down in a court case dating back to 1896. This was an important
victory. Black people could now argue that other forms of segregation in public transport,
restaurants, theatres and housing were unjust for the same reasons.
Many of the southern US states ignored the changes in the law. Little Rock Central High
School in Arkansas was one such place. The school board took three years to work out a
gradual plan for integration starting in September 1957. Black students from years 10 to 12
would be the first to join the school.
The majority of white citizens in Little Rock thought that integration would destroy the quality of
white education. They did not want black and white children mixing together. What happened
next?
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Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
Examine these sources to find out more:
Telegram on integration at Little
Rock, 1957
Telegram on trouble at Little Rock
High School
Eisenhower's statement on events at
Little Rock
British view on
attitudes in the
South, 1957
Report on race relations in Chicago,
1957
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Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
Source 1
Extracts on integration at Little Rock, in a telegram sent from the British Embassy in
Washington, 13 September 1957
(Catalogue ref: FO 371/126719)
Questions
1. What reason did Governor Faubus give for ordering out the National Guard and State
Police?
2. According to this telegram, what other reasons might there be for the Governor's actions?
3. What was the attitude of President Eisenhower to the Governor's actions?
4. What, according to this telegram, were the effects of events at Little Rock on the rest of the
United States of America?
5. This source comes from the British Embassy in Washington. What are the advantages and
disadvantages of using it as evidence about events at Little Rock?
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Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
Source 1
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Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
Source 2
Extract on "Racial troubles at Little Rock", a telegram sent to the British Foreign Office
from their embassy in Washington, 26 September 1957
(Catalogue ref: FO 371/126719)
Questions
1. What did the Federal District Court forbid Governor Faubus from doing?
2. What happened when the black students tried to go to school?
3. What actions did President Eisenhower take to enforce desegregation?
4. What words would you use to describe the experience of the nine black students?
5. This source comes from the British Embassy in Washington. What are the advantages and
disadvantages of using it as evidence about events at Little Rock?
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Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
Source 2
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Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
Source 3
A press statement on events at Little Rock by President Eisenhower, 23 September 1957
(Catalogue ref: FO 371/126719)
Questions
1. How does the President's choice of words show his disapproval of what happened at Little
Rock?
2. What makes point 3 such a powerful statement?
3. Could this source be considered a warning to the South? Give reasons to explain your
answer.
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Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
Source 3
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Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
Source 4
A British telegram on attitudes in the southern United States, 26 September 1957
(Catalogue ref: FO 371/126719)
Questions
1. According to this telegram, how was Eisenhower's response to events in Little Rock viewed
outside the South?
2. How was Eisenhower's response to events in Little Rock viewed in the South?
3. What does this source tell us about the attitudes of people in the South towards desegregation?
4. This source comes from the British Embassy in Washington. What are the advantages and
disadvantages of using it as evidence about events at Little Rock?
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Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
Source 4
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Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
Source 5
Extracts from a report on race relations in the city of Chicago, 2 October 1957
(Catalogue ref: FO 371/126719)
Questions
1. What happened in Calumet Park?
2. What reasons were given for not reporting these events in the press?
3. What information does this source provide about the extent of racism experienced by black
communities in America in 1957?
4. If you were to investigate what happened in Chicago, what other sources might help you?
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Learning Curve
HEROES & VILLAINS
King & civil rights > Little Rock
Source 5
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