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__**//Background History//**__

The //Civil War// from 1861-1865 was essential in the freeing of black slaves. They also were essential in the //Union//'s victory. The availability of black-troops ultimately allowed **Lincoln** to not have to compromise on the issue of //emancipation// ("The Civil")//.// The Union's victory in the Civil War freed all current slaves and banned any future slavery. Following the ban of slavery a second attempt to create lasting peace was made. It was called the //Compromise of 1877// and it is known as the United States second try to prevent an outbreak of violence due to Civil Rights (Bose). Although the compromise of 1877, prevented violence, this also halted Black's efforts to gain equality. The //Election of 1876// took place and there was a lot of confusion about a clear winner. So, in exchange for //Rutherord B. Hayes// becoming president, the republicans had to withdraw their troops from the south. This prevented violence, but also halted the north's efforts to free slaves (Bose).

Ninety years after //US congress abolished slaver//y, many different //civil rights movements// occurred beginning in 1955 through 1968. Beginning with, **Rosa Parks** refusing to give up her seat on the bus for a white man which led to repeal of //segregation laws on buses//. //The first Civil Rights bill since reconstruction// was approved, which gave blacks additional voting rights in 1957. In the same year, the //“race to space”// began world wide when Russia launched Sputnik. President **Dwight D. Eisenhower** was inaugurated for his second term in office in 1957 ("History"). The Brown v. Board of Education case was filed in 1951 when parents in Topeka Kansas retaliated with a lawsuit against the segregation of their African American children. This led to the US supreme court labeling segregation in schools to be unconstitutional in 1954. As a response, the superintendent in Little Rock, Arkansas created a plan for integration that was unanimously approved and would begin in September of 1957. Their goal was to integrate the schools gradually. A select nine students (**Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls, Minniejean Brown, Gloria Ray, Thelma Mothershed and Melba Pattillo**) were chosen to integrate Central High.



The Governer**, Orval Faubus** of Arkansas was against integration and took dramatic measures to prevent these students from getting into the school. He sent the Arkansas National Guard to physically prevent the nine student from entering the high school. This caused a national uproar. When approaching the school, these nine children received threats of being lynched, were spat on, and insulted by angry white segregationists. When the Mayor of Little Roc k, **Woodrow Mann** heard of this prevention, he asked President Eisenhower to take action ("Little Rock").

**President Eisenhower** had to make a decision whether to involve himself in this controversial issue, or ignore the problem and move on. Click on the link below to get never before seen footage of this historic decision.

The decision