The Little Rock Nine: The Nine Students Who Challenged Segregation in 1957
Introduction — Nine Students, One Historic School On September 25, 1957, nine African American students entered Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. They were teenagers going to school. But their arrival at Central High was anything but an ordinary school day. The school had previously been for white students only. The nine students were there as part of an effort to end racial segregation in public schools. Before they could enter, they faced angry crowds, National Guard troops, and growing tension around the school. One of the students, Elizabeth Eckford , became famous after a photograph showed her walking alone toward the school while an angry crowd followed her. The situation became so serious that President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock. On September 25, the nine students finally entered Central High under the protection of U.S. Army troops. Their story became one of the most important moments in the history of the American Ci...