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| Creator: | Russell, Richard B. (Richard Brevard), 1897-1971 |
| Title: | Telegram from Georgia Senator Richard B. Russell to President Eisenhower |
| Date: | 1957 Sept. 26 |
| Description: | Telegram from Georgia Senator Richard B. Russell to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, sent September 26, 1957. In the telegram, Russell, writing "as a citizen, as a senator of the United States, and as chairman of the Senate Committee on Armed Services" to "vigorously protest the highminded and illegal methods being employed by the armed forces of the United States under your command who are carrying out your orders to mix the races in the public schools of Little Rock, Arkansas." Russell objects to the way troops are treating citizens in Little Rock and concludes the telegraph by calling for an investigation of attacks and for punishment for "all of those who may have had been guilty of unnecessary violence against inoffensive and peaceable American citizens." In 1957, the Little Rock school district voted to integrate its schools. Governor Faubus, opposed to integration, sent members of the Arkansas National Guard to prevent African American students--the "Little Rock Nine"--from entering Little Rock Central High School on September 4. Federal courts ordered Governor Faubus to remove the troops and permit the nine students to enter the school on September 23, 1957. However, because of the rioting that continued outside, the students were removed from the school after three hours. President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered troops from the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to restore order and to protect the students. After a single year of integration, Governor Faubus closed the Little Rock public high schools to avoid further integration. The United States Supreme Court declared Faubus' action illegal and the public schools reopened August 1959. The Civil Rights Digital Library received support from a National Leadership Grant for Libraries awarded to the University of Georgia by the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the aggregation and enhancement of partner metadata. |
| Types: | Telegrams |
| Subjects: | Eisenhower, Dwight D. (Dwight David), 1890-1969 | Russell, Richard B. (Richard Brevard), 1897-1971 | Federal-state controversies--Arkansas | School integration--Arkansas--Little Rock | African American students--Arkansas--Little Rock | High school students--Arkansas--Little Rock | Segregation in education--Arkansas--Little Rock | Race riots--Arkansas--Little Rock | Violence--Arkansas--Little Rock | Race relations | Little Rock (Ark.)--Race relations--History--20th century | Central High School (Little Rock, Ark.) | Presidents--United States | Mobs--Arkansas--Little Rock | Legislators--United States | Politicians--Georgia | Government, Resistance to--Southern States | Little Rock (Ark.) | Pulaski County (Ark.) | Washington (D.C.) |
| Collection: | Presidential Timeline of the Twentieth Century Information: Dwight D. Eisenhower |
| Institution: | Dwight D. Eisenhower Library |
| Contributors: | Dwight D. Eisenhower Library | Presidential Timeline of the Twentieth Century |
| Online Publisher: | Austin, Tex. : Learning Technology Center. The University of Texas at Austin ; | Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Administration | 2008 |
| Original Material: | Collection: Dwight D. Eisenhower's Papers as President (Ann Whitman File), Series: Administration Series, Box Number: 23, Folder Title: Little Rock (2). |
| Rights and Usage: | Rights Status: Restricted - Possibly Rights Object: Richard B. Russell |
| Related Materials: | Requires Adobe Flash Player. Forms part of: Presidential Timeline of the Twentieth Century. |
| Persistent Link to Item: | http://presidentialtimeline.org/html/record.php?id=126 |
