The Little Rock Nine

1. Set Focus
Pose these essential questions: What does it mean to have equal rights? How can we ensure that all citizens enjoy equal rights?

2. List Vocabulary
Share some of the challenging vocabulary words in the article (see below). Encourage students to use context to infer meanings as they read.

• integrate (p. 18)
• entrenched (p. 18)
• vague (p. 20)
• override (p. 20)
• retaliated (p. 21)
• validate (p. 21)

3. Engage
Have students share what they know about the Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education and about the Little Rock Nine.

4. Read and Discuss
Ask students to read the Upfront article about the Little Rock Nine. Review why the article is a secondary source. (It was written by someone who didn’t personally experience or witness the events.) Then pose these critical-thinking questions:

• What was the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education? What previous ruling did this reverse? Why were school districts able to react slowly to the ruling? (In Brown v. Board of Education, the Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. This reversed the Court’s ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson, which had established the principle of “separate but equal.” School districts were able to react slowly to the Court’s ruling in Brown because the ruling was vague about how schools should desegregate.)  

• What did the Little Rock Nine do? Why do we remember the Little Rock Nine today? (The Little Rock Nine were nine high school students who were the first to desegregate schools in Little Rock, Arkansas. We remember them today for the bravery they showed in response to the violence they faced when desegregating Central High School. We also remember them today because they inspired further civil rights demonstrations, which led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This act outlawed segregation in all public places.)

• Why did President Eisenhower send federal troops to Little Rock? (President Eisenhower sent federal troops to Little Rock to safely escort the Little Rock Nine into Central High School. Before federal troops arrived, White mobs, as well as the Arkansas National Guard and Arkansas police—under the direction of Arkansas’s governor—violently prevented the Little Rock Nine from entering the school.)

• What does Carlotta Walls LaNier mean when she says, “I needed to validate all that I had gone through”? Would you have made the same decision? (LaNier means that she remained determined to graduate from the school despite the obstacles she faced because of all the harassment she had already put up with. Responses to the second question will vary, but students should support their points with text evidence.)

5. Use the Primary Sources

Project, distribute, or assign in Google Classroom the PDF President Eisenhower’s Speech, which features excerpts from the speech President Dwight D. Eisenhower gave on September 4, 1957, to explain why he sent federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas. Discuss what makes the speech a primary source. (It provides firsthand evidence concerning the topic.) Have students read the excerpts and answer the questions below (which appear on the PDF without answers).

• How would you describe the tone and purpose of these excerpts from Eisenhower’s speech? (Eisenhower’s tone can be described as formal, solemn, and cautionary. His purpose is to explain his decision to send federal troops to Little Rock and to convince listeners to support his decision and to obey the law.)

• From where did Eisenhower give this speech? Why does he begin by explaining the location for his speech? (Eisenhower gave this speech from the president’s office in the White House. He begins by explaining his location to establish the seriousness of his intentions to restore order in Little Rock. He wants to put the full weight of the seriousness of the White House behind his decision.)

• What claim does Eisenhower make about what individual rights and freedoms in the U.S. rest on? (Eisenhower claims that individual rights and freedoms in the U.S. rest on the certainty by the public that the president and the executive office will uphold the law. If the public is not certain of this, he elaborates, then anarchy would prevail, and only those who can fight for themselves would have any sense of security. He says that the interest of the entire nation requires the proper fulfillment of the law.) 

• In the paragraph that begins with “Our enemies,” does Eisenhower use ethos (credibility), logos (logic), or pathos (emotion) to bolster his argument? Explain. (Responses will vary. Students may note that Eisenhower uses pathos—an appeal to emotion. He uses the phrases “our enemies are gloating” and “violator of those standards” to make listeners feel embarrassment and to inspire them to support desegregation so that our enemies will no longer gloat and the U.S. will no longer be seen as an entity that violates the standards that many other nations have agreed to abide by.)

• Based on the Upfront article and the excerpts from Eisenhower’s speech, do you agree with Eisenhower’s decision to send federal troops to Little Rock to take control of the situation? Why or why not? (Responses will vary. Students should cite evidence from both texts.)

6. Writing Prompt
Research one of the events included in the timeline. Rewrite the entry for the event, adding two significant details.

7. Quiz
Use the quiz to assess comprehension.

8. Classroom Debate
Are lawsuits the best way to bring about social change?

9. Research Primary Sources
Have students research additional primary sources about the Little Rock Nine, such as the letter from Minnijean Brown’s parents to the Little Rock school board, objecting to her being expelled. Lead a discussion about the common themes among the primary sources.