During the Little Rock Crisis, which president ordered federal intervention?

During the Little Rock Crisis, which president ordered federal intervention?

• A. Dwight D. Eisenhower
• B. Harry S. Truman
• C. John F. Kennedy
• D. Lyndon B. Johnson

Answer: (A)

The situation tests how the federal government can enforce constitutional rights when a state resists. The Little Rock Crisis happened when nine Black students tried to enroll at Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, in the wake of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that public schools should be desegregated. The Arkansas National Guard, acting under the governor, blocked the students from entering, showing a clash between state authority and federal courts. Dwight D. Eisenhower answered by using federal power to uphold the court ruling and protect the students. He federalized the Arkansas National Guard and personally sent in the 101st Airborne Division to escort the students and ensure their safety as they attended school. This decisive action demonstrated that the federal government would intervene to enforce desegregation and safeguard civil rights, even when a state government opposed it.

The situation tests how the federal government can enforce constitutional rights when a state resists. The Little Rock Crisis happened when nine Black students tried to enroll at Central High in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957, in the wake of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that public schools should be desegregated. The Arkansas National Guard, acting under the governor, blocked the students from entering, showing a clash between state authority and federal courts.

Dwight D. Eisenhower answered by using federal power to uphold the court ruling and protect the students. He federalized the Arkansas National Guard and personally sent in the 101st Airborne Division to escort the students and ensure their safety as they attended school. This decisive action demonstrated that the federal government would intervene to enforce desegregation and safeguard civil rights, even when a state government opposed it.