President Eisenhower responded by sending in the United States National Guard in to escort the Little Rock 9 into Central High School.
Even though the Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were illegal, Governor Faubus (of Arkansas) tried to keep Central High School in Little Rock segregated by using the Arkansas guard to keep the nine African-American students out of school. Eisenhower wanted to ensure that this ruling was followed so he sent in the National Guard to escort the nine students to school. This showed the federal governments commitment to upholding the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling.