The US department of justice gained a court injunction; forcing the National Guard to withdraw. President Eisenhower also ordered their withdrawal through Faubus.
However, due to a resistant crowd of white racists, the nine students were still unable to enrol into the school.
Even though the courts and the President helped to grant the students access, the racial attitudes among the community were unchanged, resulting in the public protest/crowd.
This unrest prompted Eisenhower to take the National Guard under Presidential control, as opposed to previous state control. He ordered them to protect and escort the black students for their enrolment on 25th September 1957.
Eisenhower’s leadership has been described as ‘seeking to downplay the political side of his role’; however in cases such as this he would use indirect leadership techniques to defuse potential sources of discontent.
In retaliation Faubus, backed by racists in the Arkansas legislature, passed a law giving him the power to close local schools in order to avoid desegregation. He used this power to close Little Rock’s Central School – depriving students, both black & white, of two years of education – showing the rest of the world how racist he really was.
Following this, the NAACP went to the Supreme Court with the case Cooper v. Aaron (1958), and won, ruling that it was illegal to prevent desegregation for any reason. Furthermore the schools in Little Rock were reopened and had to accept black and white students.
In conclusion the NAACP’s campaign in Little Rock demonstrated the effectiveness of testing the Supreme Court’s rulings; ensuring de jure change was also a de facto change by making it illegal to oppose desegregation – an offence now punishable by law.
The campaign also prompted President Eisenhower to take up political reigns and proffer ideals to support desegregation – this gained great authority for the causes of the NAACP.
And lastly, the desegregation in schools would begin to introduce ideas of equality and fairness between different races to children at a very young age.
