Choosing to Participate: Facing History and Ourselves

Crisis in Little Rock: What Happened Next
For the next three weeks, the Arkansas National Guard keeps Elizabeth Eckford and the other African American students from entering Central High School. A federal court orders the governor to allow the "Little Rock Nine" to enter Central High. When a mob of angry white citizens gather there, the Little Rock police are unable to control them. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sends the 101st Airborne to Little Rock to protect the African American students and maintain order. The soldiers stay for two months. The President orders the Arkansas National Guard to return to Central High to protect the "Little Rock Nine." In May 1958, Ernest Green becomes the first African American to graduate from the school. The following September, Governor Faubus closes the city's four high schools rather than allow integration to continue. The schools remain closed until the fall of 1959 when a group of parents succeed in reopening them to all students.
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