Final answer:
The Little Rock Crisis was a significant Civil Rights Movement event in 1957 where the Arkansas Governor prevented the integration of nine African American students into Little Rock Central High School, leading President Eisenhower to intervene and enforce desegregation by sending federal troops.
Step-by-step explanation:
What was the Little Rock Crisis?
The Little Rock Crisis refers to a defining event during the Civil Rights Movement in 1957 when Governor Orval Faubus of Arkansas used the National Guard to prevent nine African American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, from entering the racially segregated Little Rock Central High School. Despite the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared school segregation unconstitutional, Governor Faubus resisted federal orders to integrate, prompting intervention from President Dwight Eisenhower. Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent in soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division to enforce integration and protect the Little Rock Nine.
This confrontation highlighted the tension between state and federal authority and underscored the federal commitment to enforce civil rights legislation. The presence of military troops provided the necessary protection for the students to attend classes, but the difficulties they faced continued throughout the school year. The crisis was a pivotal moment in the national struggle for civil rights and set the precedent for federal involvement in enforcing desegregation.
In 1958, due to ongoing resistance, Governor Faubus closed all Little Rock public schools to avoid integration. This drastic measure was in vain, as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the following year that the schools had to be reopened and that the desegregation process had to continue, paving the way for further civil rights advancements.