In 1957, a group of nine African American students were enrolled in Little Rock Central High, an all-white high school. These students endured extensive hostility by their fellow classmates and the governor of Arkansas and were even flatly refused an education, despite their deserved enrollments. The situation escalated to such a degree that the United States President of the time, Dwight D. Eisenhower, had to get involved by commanding troops to escort the students from class to class. Despite how miniscule the problem seemed, it further raised the question regarding segregation’s lack of necessity in the United States and a need for racial tensions to subside in order for there to be a peaceful society for black and whites. Without realizing
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Rather than waking up ready to learn each day, the nine woke up ready to have physical and emotional abuse from their peers. According to “There I Was in History”, students in the school created an effigy to represent the black students, yelling and stabbing the figure wishing they could do the same to them often saying, “Kill ’em, kill ’em!” (Pg. 93). Most of the students involved in the public shaming of the blacks apologized after, but one of the white student refused saying, “I was a product of my day and time, and I was acting from my early upbringing,”. In the late 1950s, racism was the norm rather than the exception and it was almost expected that the students would berate the blacks, despite their credentials. In “I am Elizabeth Eckford...”, one of the Little Rock Nine spoke about the daily struggle of going to school as she says, “the people who had been across the street start surging forward behind me. So, I headed in the opposite direction to where there was another bus stop. Safety to me meant getting to the bus stop.” The white students’ racism created fear and hostility for the black students who went to Central
Rather than waking up ready to learn each day, the nine woke up ready to have physical and emotional abuse from their peers. According to “There I Was in History”, students in the school created an effigy to represent the black students, yelling and stabbing the figure wishing they could do the same to them often saying, “Kill ’em, kill ’em!” (Pg. 93). Most of the students involved in the public shaming of the blacks apologized after, but one of the white student refused saying, “I was a product of my day and time, and I was acting from my early upbringing,”. In the late 1950s, racism was the norm rather than the exception and it was almost expected that the students would berate the blacks, despite their credentials. In “I am Elizabeth Eckford...”, one of the Little Rock Nine spoke about the daily struggle of going to school as she says, “the people who had been across the street start surging forward behind me. So, I headed in the opposite direction to where there was another bus stop. Safety to me meant getting to the bus stop.” The white students’ racism created fear and hostility for the black students who went to Central