windowHref += '? Years after the Supreme Court had ruled it unconstitutional, state and local governments were still dragging their feet. Which soon became the center of national debate about She was 14 years old when she finished Dunbar Junior High School and registered to attend Central for her sophmore year. Hotels near Testament: The Little Rock Nine Monument: (1.11 mi) The Capital Hotel (1.60 mi) The Empress of Little Rock (1.33 mi) Hilton Garden Inn Little Rock Downtown (1.10 mi) Rosemont B&B Cottages (1.08 mi) Little Rock Marriott; View all hotels near Testament: The Little Rock Nine Monument on Tripadvisor Attempt to … Thelma was born in 1940 in Bloomberg, Texas. The nine students who registered to be the first black students at Little Rock Central High School were Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls. Faced with no choice "little rock nine" gave up their attempt to attend central high school. The Little Rock Nine On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Brown v. the Board of Education of Topeka, KS. '; When the city's high schools were closed to prevent further desegregation, Roberts moved to Los Angeles, California, and graduated from Los Angeles High School in 1959. The Little Rock Nine were an incredibly courageous group of African Americans that stood up and said this system of apartheid, which had been struck down by a … This lesson explores the history of school desegregation through the words of those who participated in the 1950s debate over educational equality. This is a great opportunity for you and the federal government to back up the longings and aspirations of millions of peoples of good will and make law and order a reality.' The Supreme Court decided that the segregation of schools (educating black and white children separately) was unconstitutional. How Long is the School Day in Homeschool Programs? Ray, like the others of the Nine, was tormented by certain whitestudents who called her names, threw things, spit, vandalized her locker, and even pushed her down a flight of stairs. Three years earlier, following the Supreme Court ruling, the Little Rock school board pledged to voluntarily desegregate its schools. https://www.nfl.com/videos/black-history-moment-little-rock-nine A few weeks later, the students attended school surrounded by army soldiers. We were the players,' says Ernest Green. font-style: normal; Melba was born on December 7, 1941, in Little Rock, Arkansas. LaNier made history as the youngest member of the Little Rock Nine. Ivy Roberts is an adjunct instructor in English, film/media studies and interdisciplinary studies. © copyright 2003-2021 Study.com. Earn Transferable Credit & Get your Degree. Would you rather get a below-average education at a local school or spend hours commuting to better facilities in another district, even if it has a discriminatory culture against outsiders? Name Summarize: Answer the following questions in the space provided. This decision is known as Brown v. Board of Education (1954). The Nine were harassed daily by white students, and Thomas' quiet demeanor made him a target for bullies at the school. Inspired by Rosa Parks, she had a desire to get the best education available by enrolling in Central High School. Eckford and the others are depicted in Testament, a memorial located on the grounds of the Arkansas State Capitol. The Little Rock School Board agreed to follow the decision of the court for the schools located in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Supreme Court decided that the segregation of schools (… //-->. > -1) { They then attended after the intervention of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. This was the date and year of the Little Rock Nine's first day of school, Name at least four members of the Little Rock Nine students (bonus points if you can name all eight), He was the Governor of Arkansas during the Little Rock Nine's Journey, This president called the National Guard to escort students into the school building after mob resistance As a pre-emptive measure, Faubus called the National Guard to maintain order for fear that the mob would turn into a bloody riot. The students, known as the Little Rock Nine, were recruited by Daisy Bates, president of the Arkansas branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Tech and Engineering - Questions & Answers, Health and Medicine - Questions & Answers. 2. See Executive Order 10730-Desegregation of Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas The 1950s (1950-1959): Defining Documents in American History (print) by Michael Shally-Jensen (editor) Call Number: E813 .A19 2016 The others returned to Horace Mann. document.write( Thurgood Marshall of the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) argued the case: 'It follows that with education, this Court has made segregation and inequality equivalent concepts…If segregation thus necessarily imports inequality, it makes no great difference whether we say that the Negro is wronged because he is segregated, or that he is wronged because he received unequal treatment.'. {{courseNav.course.mDynamicIntFields.lessonCount}}, President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Great Society Program, The Civil Rights Movement During the 1950s, The Civil Rights Movement During the 1960s, The 24th Amendment: Description, Ratification & Impact, Hippies and the Counterculture: Origins, Beliefs and Legacy, The Women's Movement: Causes, Campaigns & Impacts on the US, Other Important Activist Movements of the Late 60s and Early 70s, The SCLC & the Civil Rights Movement: Definition & History, Republican Motherhood: Definition & Summary, Middle School US History: Tutoring Solution, Biological and Biomedical 1958 May 25: Ernest Green, a senior member of the Little Rock Nine, is the first African-American to … windowHref += '&'; Their brave experiment became a milestone that launched school desegregation in the United States. During the summer of 1957, they enrolled at the all-white Little Rock Central High School. This was a decision posed to the Little Rock Nine, a group of nine African American students from Horace Mann High, who chose to enroll in the all-white Central High. Create your account, Already registered? She was the third child of H.C. Ray, Sr. and Julia Miller Ray. Green made history as the only senior among the "Little Rock Nine." Little Rock Nine Members. His place in Arkansas' civil rights history was solidified when he became the first African-American to graduate from the previously all-white high school in May of 1958. if (windowHref.indexOf('?') Still, like the others, she was determined to finish the year. A plaque accompanies the monument, displaying this quote by Eckford: 'If we have honestly acknowledged our painful but shared past, then we can have reconciliation.'. Who Were the Little Rock Nine? Ernest was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on September 22, 1941. Get Started In the beginning of the century, it was he who founded the Arkansas Agricultural Extension Service for Negroes under the auspices of the US Dept of Agriculture; he had also studied and work for none other than the distinguished George Washington Carver and Booker T. Washington, before graduating from Tuskegee Institute. Their brave experiment became a milestone that launched school desegregationin the United States. ); did strange little things. Use this quiz and worksheet to see what you know about the Little Rock Nine. @font-face { The Little Rock Nine consisted of Melba Pattillo, Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Minnijean Brown, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls, Jefferson Thomas, Gloria Ray, and Thelma Mothershed. url("//cdn2.editmysite.com/fonts/SQ_Market/sqmarket-medium.woff2") format("woff2"), She graduated from New York's New Lincoln School in 1959. There were teachers at Central High who showed their hostility toward the "Little Rock Nine" in small ways and large. What were the names of the Little Rock Nine? src: White students called her names and spat on her while armed guards escorted her to classes, but LaNier concentrated on her studies and protected herself throughout the school year. Who was Daisy Bates? She was born September 11, 1941, in Little Rock and 16 years old when she entered Central High School. //