Module 3: Brown v Board of Education and Little Rock Nine

The Brown v. Board of Education decision, delivered by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1954, was a landmark ruling that declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. The case was brought before the court by Oliver Brown, a parent of a young Black girl named Linda Brown, who was required to attend a distant segregated school instead of a nearby white school. The case challenged the "separate but equal" doctrine established in the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decision, which had allowed for racial segregation as long as facilities were considered equal. Brown argued that segregation in public schools inherently created inequality, as Black schools were often underfunded and lacked resources. The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision led by Chief Justice Earl Warren, ruled that "separate educational facilities are inherently unequal," thus striking down the legal basis for school segregation and offering a significant step toward racial equality in education.

The Brown decision had profound implications for both the Black community and the broader Civil Rights Movement. For the Black middle class, it represented a long-awaited victory in the fight for educational equality. Many Black families had fought for years to provide their children with better educational opportunities, often seeing segregation as a barrier to advancement. The ruling fueled the hopes of African American communities that the systematic inequalities of Jim Crow laws could be dismantled. However, the decision also sparked significant resistance, particularly in the South, where many states employed "massive resistance" tactics to delay or prevent desegregation. 

Implementing this decision would be more difficult.  The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine African American students who became pioneers in the fight against segregation in public schools, following the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954. In 1957, they attempted to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, after the court's ruling declared that public schools must desegregate. Despite the legal mandate for integration, the students faced intense hostility and resistance. On the first day of their attempt to enter the school, they were met with a violent mob and were blocked from entering by the Arkansas National Guard, which was ordered by Governor Orval Faubus to prevent their enrollment. This event was a clear example of the backlash against the Brown decision, as many white southerners sought to maintain the status quo of segregation, even in the face of federal mandates.

The crisis in Little Rock highlighted the deep divisions in the country over the issue of racial equality and forced the federal government to take action. In response to the violent opposition, President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened by sending the 101st Airborne Division to protect the Little Rock Nine and ensure that they could attend school without further interference. The bravery of these nine students, who faced daily threats of violence and harassment, became a symbol of the larger Civil Rights Movement. Their efforts helped push the country closer to the realization of the promises made in the Brown v. Board of Education decision, though desegregation was still met with fierce resistance in many areas. The Little Rock Nine’s courage in the face of such adversity played a crucial role in the ongoing struggle for educational equality and civil rights in America.