Little Known Black History Fact – Black America 250: September 24, 1957-An Executive Order Signed by President Dwight Eisenhower, Sent Federal Troops to Maintain Order and Peace during the Integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas

On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated schools were “inherently unequal” and ordered that U.S. public schools be desegregated “with all deliberate speed.”Within a week of the 1954 decision, Arkansas was one of two Southern states to announce it would begin immediately to take steps to comply with the Brown decision.In September, nine Black students – collectively known as the “Little Rock Nine” – enrolled at Central High School in Little Rock. The ensuing struggle between segregationists and integrationists, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, and the federal government (especially President Eisenhower himself) became known as the “Little Rock Crisis.”The night before school was to start, on September 2, Governor Faubus announced that he  called out the state’s National Guard to surround Little Rock Central High School and preserve order. He explained that he was taking this action to protect citizens and property from possible violence by protesters he claimed were headed in caravans toward Little Rock.The students were turned away and denied entry by the Arkansas National Guard. That evening, Governor Faubus revealed that he ordered the National Guard to prevent the Black students from entering.President Eisenhower, invited Governor Faubus to meet him to discuss the tense situation. In the meeting, Faubus indicated that he would respect the desegregation order. Eisenhower therefore suggested that Faubus not necessarily withdraw the National Guard troops, but instruct them to preserve order and allow the Black students to attend Central High.However, once back in Little Rock, Governor Faubus withdrew the National Guard. A few days later, when the Black students entered the school, a full-scale riot erupted. The situation was quickly out of control, as Governor Faubus failed to stop the violence. Finally, Congressman Brooks Hays and Little Rock Mayor Woodrow Mann asked the federal government for help, first in the form of U.S. marshals.President Dwight D. Eisenhower, as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States, was presented with a difficult problem. He was required to uphold the Constitution and the laws, but he also wanted to avoid a bloody confrontation in Arkansas. With Executive Order 10730, the President placed the Arkansas National Guard under federal control and sent 1,000 U.S. Army paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division to assist them in restoring order in Little Rock.

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