On September 4, 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus deployed the National Guard to prevent nine Black students from entering Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. This event became a significant moment in the Civil Rights Movement, as it highlighted the resistance to desegregation following the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling, which declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

In response to the governor’s actions, President Dwight D. Eisenhower intervened by sending federal troops to escort and protect the “Little Rock Nine,” the group of Black students, ensuring they could attend the school. This event drew national and international attention to the struggle for civil rights in the United States.