History+Detective+jc

** Little Rock Nine [[image:elizabeth_eckford_Jc..jpg align="right"]] **
This is a picture of Elizabeth Eckford, one of the nine brave students who attended an all-white high school. The Arkansas high school was still not integrated. The Brown vs. Board of Edu. helped integrate schools around the nation. Central High School in Little Rock was not willing to integrate the school. Three things that contributed to the nations schools being integrated were The 1957 Civil Rights Act; separate schools weren’t equal, and The Little Rock Nine.  The 1957 Civil Rights Act helped integrate schools. This act was a combination of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Eisenhower did not publicly support the Civil Rights Movement. “You could not force people to change their beliefs; such changes had to come from the heart of the people involved; not as a result of legislation in Washington.” Eisenhower. This line is from one of his public speeches about the 1957 Civil Rights act. However he did push the act during his presidency.  The fact that separate schools weren’t equal also helped integrate schools. The U.S Supreme Court established segregated schools to be unconstitutional and not equal because of the Brown vs. Board of Edu.“Racially segregated schools are inherently unequal” The Supreme Court. Separate schools were not equal because the Schools for the Black were less financially supported the Schools for the White. For every $150 spent on a white student only $50 was spent on an African American student. Also the Schools for the Black did not have the current text books, and the classes were really crowed.  The Little Rock Nine also helped integrate schools around the nation. In September of 1957 nine students set off for high school. Most whites, including the governor of Arkansas, did not want schools to be integrated. Governor Faubus sent the Arkansas national guard to the school to deny the nine students entry. The nine students were surrounded by people yelling at them. “They moved closer and closer…somebody stared yelling…I tried to see a friendly face somewhere in the crowd-someone who maybe could help. I looked into the face of an old woman and it seemed a kind face, but when I looked at her again she spat on me.” Elizabeth Eckford. Eisenhower heard what went on, so he sent the 101st Airborne Division to protect the nine students. Each student had their own guard with them at all times. They did not get to go to their first day of school, but they did get in on the second day of school.  In conclusion, the 1957 Civil Rights Act, the Little Rock Nine and the fact separate schools were not equal helped integrate schools. The 1957 Civil Rights Act made schools integrate and allowed African Americans the right to vote. People began to see separate schools were not actually equal because Schools for the White were given better supplies. The Little Rock Nine helped integrate schools because the showed what an African American was willing to go through to go to a good school. Ultimately all schools became integrated.