September 1957Reputable sourceWell documented
The Little Rock Nine
On the timeline · around September 1957 ·
What happened
In September 1957, nine Black students attempted to integrate all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. When the governor deployed the National Guard to block them and mobs threatened violence, President Eisenhower sent in federal troops to escort the students and enforce Brown v. Board.
Why it matters
Little Rock was a dramatic showdown between federal authority and Southern resistance, demonstrating that Washington would — at least sometimes — use force to uphold civil rights, and etching the students' courage into the nation's memory.