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The Battle of Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas 1957. How did some whites oppose the desegregation of schools?. Reaction to 1954 Supreme Court Decision.
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The Battle of Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas1957 How did some whites oppose the desegregation of schools?
Reaction to 1954 Supreme Court Decision • Although the Supreme Court had declared segregation in schools unconstitutional (Brown v. Board), no time frame was set for integration to take place. • NAACP pushed the issue along in the South, taking schools to court if they did not comply. • Many communities were extremely hostile to the decision which resulted in a white backlash in the South. • Groups such as White Citizens’ Councils and the KKK were determined to break the progress of desegregation.
Southern Manifesto • 1956 almost all Southern Congressmen signed the Southern Manifesto which: • Claimed the Federal Government had no authority to determine what went on in schools – that was a decision for State governments • Promised to protect the ‘Southern way of life’ • Promised ‘massive resistance’ to desegregation • At Central High, Little Rock in Arkansas, this white resistance came to a climax.
Hazel Massery hurls abuse at Elizabeth Eckford, September 1957 Todayboth women are friends.