Knowra Little Rock Nine Little Rock Nine The Little Rock Nine were nine Black students who integrated Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas in 1957 under federal military protection, despite violent resistance.
Elizabeth Eckford : One of the Little Rock Nine, she faced an angry mob alone on her first attempt to enter Central High. A photograph of her being harassed became an enduring image of the crisis.
Brown v. Board of Education : The 1954 Supreme Court decision that ruled racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. Its ruling supplied the constitutional basis for the students’ enrollment.
Civil Rights Movement : A broad struggle, especially active from the 1950s through the 1960s, to end racial discrimination and secure equal rights in the United States. The Central High confrontation became a nationally visible episode in the movement.
Thelma Mothershed Wair : One of the Little Rock Nine, she attended Central High despite serious health problems and persistent harassment. Her persistence illustrates the varied burdens students carried through the school year.
Daisy Bates : An Arkansas civil rights leader who advised and supported the students during the Central High crisis. She coordinated support for the students and helped prepare them for the school year.
Orval Faubus : Arkansas governor who used the National Guard to prevent Black students from entering Central High in September 1957. His resistance escalated a school-board integration plan into a federal-state confrontation.
School integration in the United States : The process of ending racial separation in American schools through court rulings, legislation, and local action. The Nine’s enrollment marked a prominent, contested step in this process.
Melba Pattillo Beals : One of the Little Rock Nine, she later recounted her experiences at Central High in a memoir. Her account preserves the daily violence and isolation behind the national images.
Minnijean Brown Trickey : One of the Little Rock Nine, she was expelled from Central High after conflicts with white students. Her expulsion exposed the personal costs of attending school under sustained harassment.
Dwight D. Eisenhower : The 34th president of the United States, who sent federal troops to enforce desegregation at Central High. His intervention made federal enforcement decisive after state obstruction.
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