Following the decision made in the Brown v. The Board of Education, 9 African American students were set to attend Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Kansas. In the fall of 1957, Governor Orval Faubus declared that he could not keep order if forced to integrate the all white school. He posted Arkansas National Guard troops at the school and instructed them to turn away the nine African American students. Outside the school, a mob of angry protestors gathered to prevent the students from entering. Eisenhower placed the National Guard troops under federal command and sent soldiers to Arkansas to protect the students. A guard had to follow each student throughout the day in order to ensure the child's safety. Only one out of the nine students would graduate that spring.
Throughout this time period, small, non-violent protests were taking place all throughout the south. However, as more people pushed for change, the more whites tried to cling to the past. Local police and government officials cracked down on civil rioters, jailing many and beating them down at every opportunity.
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