The 9 teenagers who simply wanted to go to school in Little Rock, Arkansas in September of 1957 are an incredible group of Americans. Americans attempting to enjoy their Life, Liberty and their pursuit of Happiness in the land of the free.
[quote]We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Thomas Jefferson [/quote]
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Part the First: A Declaration of the Rights of the Inhabitants of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
This part consists of thirty articles, the first of which states:
[quote]“ Article I. All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential, and unalienable rights; among which may be reckoned the right of enjoying and defending their lives and liberties; that of acquiring, possessing, and protecting property; in fine, that of seeking and obtaining their safety and happiness.
John Adams [/quote]
Two of our founding fathers writing about the inherent nature of being free and equal, granted by the sole act of being born into this country. How could they be so very right and yet it take so long to make the words and ideas a reality?
It is very well established in our country that all men, all people should be equal in regard to individual rights and freedoms. Though Jefferson struggled with the idea of "men" which did not include women or slaves, he was on the right path. The established guide lines were for all to be equal. Our country struggled with that ever since. President Lincoln took huge strides to implement this meaning and freedom for all. Some can argue that he had other motives, one can not argue that he did in fact free the slaves from their immediate captivity. They were certainly not yet free and equal, but our country took long hard steps to move forward.
It is an amazing thing to think about what had to happen along the way, how many people had to suffer to get slow steps forward. But the idea that it would take teenagers to join this painful movement is both amazing and horrifying to me.
Can you imagine? Can you imagine needing the United States military to get to school? Could you have the courage to face your nation, face your state, face your town, look into their eyes, look into their hatred and walk though it? Can you imagine being 15 years old and walking through a line of soldiers to get to school? Soldiers designed to protect the freedoms and liberties of Americans against foreign invasion, now set to defend the same liberties right here at home. It is hard to believe that we as a nation had to have armed soldiers lining the walk just so that 9 children could go to school. Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness......how about I want to go to school, a good and decent school as free and equal citizens and I need and armed escort to do so.
I can't imagine a country like ours needing this kind of action from the Federal Government in the form of President Eisenhower just so a child could get to school. It is a sorry time for me in retrospect. I take nothing away from all those who did and have fought for equality and freedom, I highlight the notion of children doing so.
Today, on September 25, 1957, the bravest 9 children I could ever imagine walked into school. They should be honored, respected and remembered for the chance they took, the courage they showed and the belief they must have felt in the true concept of America, where all people are created equal, born with certain unalienable rights to pursue life, liberty and happiness.
Little Rock, Arkansas
September of 1957
In September of 1957, Woodrow Mann, the Mayor of Little Rock, asked President Eisenhower to send federal troops to enforce integration and protect the nine students. On September 24, the President ordered the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army to Little Rock and federalized the entire 10,000 member Arkansas National Guard, taking it out of the hands of Governor Faubus. The 101st took positions immediately, and the nine students successfully entered the school on the next day, Wednesday, September 25, 1957.
By the end of September 1957, the nine were admitted to Little Rock Central High under the protection of the U.S. Army (and later the Arkansas National Guard), but they were still subjected to a year of physical and verbal abuse (being spat on and called names) by many of the white students. Melba Pattillo had acid thrown into her eyes. Another one of the students, Minnijean Brown, was verbally confronted and abused. She said "I was one of the kids 'approved' by the school officials. We were told we would have to take a lot and were warned not to fight back if anything happened. One girl ran up to me and said, 'I'm so glad you’re here. Won’t you go to lunch with me today?' I never saw her again." Minnijean Brown was also taunted by members of a group of white, male students in December 1957 in the school cafeteria during lunch. She dropped her lunch—a bowl of chili—onto the boys and was suspended for six days. Two months later, after more confrontation, Brown was suspended for the rest of the school year. She transferred to New Lincoln High School in New York City. As depicted in the 1982 made-for-TV docudrama Crisis at Central High, white students were only punished when their offense was "both egregious and witnessed by an adult".
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