9 Black Students Faced Angry Mobs Just to Attend This Arkansas High School in 1957

Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site, Arkansas

Most high schools fade into memory after you graduate. Not Central High School in Little Rock.

In 1957, nine Black students walked through its doors and changed America forever.

Here’s the powerful story behind the school that became a symbol of courage, and how you can visit it today.

Designing a Historic High School

Five architects designed Little Rock Central High in 1927. The massive structure cost $1.5 million, making it America’s most expensive school at that time.

The blend of Art Deco and Collegiate Gothic styles created a building so impressive that 20,000 people attended its dedication.

In 1982, it earned designation as a National Historic Landmark, the only functioning high school operating within a National Historic Site.

The Monumental Brown v. Board of Education Ruling

on May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruling in the Brown v. Board of Education case declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

This decision struck down the “separate but equal” doctrine from Plessy v. Ferguson. For almost 60 years, this 1896 ruling had allowed states to segregate public facilities.

Little Rock’s school board responded by creating a gradual integration plan.

The measured approach aimed to minimize disruption in the community.

Integration would begin at Central High in September 1957. Other district schools would follow in later years, slowly but surely dismantling the segregated system.

The First Nine Students Selected For Integration

Daisy Bates, Arkansas NAACP president, led the search for students to integrate Central High.

From 80 interested Black students, officials narrowed the pool to 17 candidates. Nine teenagers ultimately stepped forward, all excellent students.

They became known as the “Little Rock Nine”: Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Terrence Roberts, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls.

School officials warned them they couldn’t join sports teams, clubs, or attend social events. The restriction meant sacrificing normal high school experiences for a greater cause.

Governor Faubus Blocks School Integration

Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus responded to the integration by sending National Guard troops to Central High on September 2.

Armed soldiers surrounded Little Rock, a move that Faubus claimed to prevent violence and protect citizens.

On September 4, the first day of school, soldiers physically prevented the nine Black students from entering.

Elizabeth Eckford Faces The Mob Alone

Elizabeth Eckford walked alone toward Central High on September 4, 1957. Her family had no telephone, so she missed the plan for the group to meet with Daisy Bates beforehand.

Unaware her classmates wouldn’t be there, she approached the school entrance.

A mob of 400 white protesters screamed racial slurs and violent threats as she tried to pass.

A white woman named Grace Lorch finally led the frightened teenager to safety.

Her dignified expression, captured in photos, became iconic symbols of the civil rights struggle.

The Failed September 23 Attempt

Judge Davies ordered Governor Faubus to withdraw the National Guard on September 20.

The court action removed the military barrier but did nothing about growing civilian resistance.

The Little Rock Nine tried again on September 23. They slipped through a side door, briefly making it inside the school while protesters gathered outside.

Word spread quickly, and a growing mob of about 1,000 angry whites surrounded the building.

The Little Rock nine were evacuated after a few hours, which meant the second integration attempt ended in failure.

President Eisenhower Intervenes

President Eisenhower finally took command of the situation on September 24, 1957. First, he federalized the Arkansas National Guard, removing them from Governor Faubus’s control.

That evening, Eisenhower addressed the nation on television. “Mob rule cannot be allowed to override the decisions of the courts,” he declared firmly.

He then sent 1,000 combat-ready soldiers from the Army’s 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, with orders to protect the black students.

They escorted the Little Rock Nine into Central High on September 25.

A Year Of Daily Harassment

The 101st Airborne stayed until late October, after which the Federalized Arkansas National Guard troops took over.

Inside Central High itself, the nine students were constantly tormented with physical assaults, verbal abuse, and isolation.

Minnijean Brown received particularly harsh treatment, suspended twice for responding to harassment before eventual expulsion in February 1958.

Melba Patillo barely avoided permanent injury when students threw acid in her face, while Gloria Ray nearly suffered serious injury when white students pushed her down a staircase.

Ernest Green Makes History

Ernest Green transferred to Central High for his senior year. He had previously attended all-Black Horace Mann High School, giving him perspective on both educational environments.

On May 27, 1958, Green became Central High’s first Black graduate, and Martin Luther King Jr. attended Green’s graduation ceremony.

His diploma represented the first concrete achievement in the painful integration process,

Green later served as Assistant Secretary of Labor under President Carter.

The Lost Year And Reopening

Governor Faubus wasn’t finished, and in 1958, he took more extreme measures to block integration.

He closed all four of Little Rock’s public high schools, and Little Rock residents voted 19,470 to 7,561 against integration on September 27.

Later on, a federal court declared the closings unconstitutional and forced schools to reopen in August 1959.

This period became known as “The Lost Year.”

With public schools shuttered, 3,665 students lost access to education, dramatically disrupting lives across the city.

From School To National Historic Site

Central High joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, with President Clinton signing the designation on November 6, 1998.

Clinton described Central High as “a place every bit as sacred as Gettysburg and Independence Hall.”

Visiting Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

The visitor center sits at 2120 W. Daisy Gatson Bates Drive in Little Rock.

The center opens daily from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m, and free ranger-led tours provide the only public access inside the school building.

Aside from the tour (reservations only), visitors can view the school exterior, explore the visitor center exhibits, and walk through the Commemorative Garden honoring the Little Rock Nine.

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