Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, in Little Rock, Arkansas, is the site of one of the most important civil rights events in the United States. In 1957, the school received worldwide attention when nine African American teen-agers, called the Little Rock Nine, tried to become the first black students at Central High School.
In 1954, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. The court held that separate facilities for black and white students were “inherently unequal.” The court ordered states with segregated schools to open them to all races.
Many Southern communities, including Little Rock, acted slowly in desegregating their public schools. On Aug. 31, 1957, the Little Rock Board of Education announced that Central High School would be open to all qualified pupils on September 3, regardless of race.
On Sept. 2, 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval E. Faubus defied the court’s order to integrate Central High. He sent the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the African American students from entering the school. The nine students did not attend the first day of school. On September 4, the National Guard refused the students entrance to the school.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower put the National Guard under federal control and sent U.S. Army troops to enforce the court order and protect the black students. The Army escorted the students into Central High School on September 25. In 1958, Ernest Green, one of the Little Rock Nine, became the school’s first black graduate.
Students still attend the high school. Central High School Museum Visitor Center, located in a restored former service station across the street from the school, features an introductory exhibit about the events of 1957.
The secretary of the interior designated the school as a national historic landmark in 1977. President Bill Clinton signed legislation that authorized the school as a national historic site in 1998.
See also Little Rock Nine .
