Final answer:
President Eisenhower faced criticism for his initial reluctance and moderate approach to enforce school integration after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, highlighted by his delayed intervention in the Little Rock school integration crisis.
Step-by-step explanation:
The main criticism of President Eisenhower's handling of the school integration issue was his apparent reluctance to take a firm and proactive stance in the enforcement of desegregation following the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education. Eisenhower, often described as a gradualist, was criticized for his lack of immediate action, which led to controversies such as the events in Little Rock, Arkansas.
While ultimately Eisenhower did send federal troops and the 101st Airborne Division to enforce integration against the resistance of Southern states, many critics felt that his actions were too delayed and that he had not done enough to support the spirit of the Supreme Court's decision.
In 1957, after Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus used the state National Guard to prevent black students from entering Little Rock's Central High School, President Eisenhower had to intervene directly. He placed the Arkansas National Guard under federal control and dispatched the 101st Airborne to protect and escort the nine African American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, into the school. This firm but belated action drew criticism from those who were unsatisfied with Eisenhower's moderate approach and his initial silence on the matter.