May 7th

• 1840 Composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky was born in Votkinsk, Russia• 1939 Germany and Italy announced a military and political

alliance, the Rome-Berlin Axis• 1945 Germany signed an unconditional surrender at Allied

headquarters in Rheims, France, to take effect the following day, ending the European conflict of World War II

• 1992 A 203-year-old proposed constitutional amendment barring Congress from giving itself a midterm pay raise was ratified when Michigan became the 38th state to approve it

On this date in history…

Segregation in Public Schools

Segregation and the law• Plessy v. Ferguson• Supreme Court decision that ruled States may segregate railroad

transportation, public schools, voting rights and drinking fountains• The segregation is legal if the accommodations are “separate but equal”

• Brown v. Board of Education• For 58 years, “separate but equal” was the justification for numerous states to

segregate everything from entrances to buildings, to water fountains, to all forms of public transportation, and in the case of the Little Rock Nine, public schooling• In 1954, the Supreme Court reverses Plessy v. Ferguson’s application of

“separate but equal” for public schools• For several years, some states in the South refuses to comply with the Court’s

ruling and continue to segregate schools

The Little Rock Nine and Central High School• Little Rock Nine

• 9 black students were chosen, based on their perceived ability to handle the discrimination they would face, to be the first to integrate Little Rock’s Central High School

• On the day of their first attempt, Gov. Faubus called out the National Guard to bar their entrance to the school as large crowds of angry Whites followed and harassed the students

• Following the Governor’s actions, President Eisenhower orders 1,000 members of the 101st Airborne Division of the Army to escort the 9 students into the school

• The purpose of the overwhelming force (1,000 troops to 9 students) was to demonstrate that the Federal government would not allow States disobey Federal Law (the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution)

• The following year, Gov. Faubus closes the public schools in Arkansas rather than obey the Supreme Court’s ruling

Little Rock Nine Homework

• Research the desegregation of Little Rock Central High School• Respond to these questions using complete sentences and cite examples that

backup your argument1. What is the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution and what does it mean?2. What Supreme Court case forced the desegregation of Central High School?3. Who opposed it?4. What did those who opposed it do to attempt to stop it?5. Who utilized force to integrate the high school?6. Do you feel it was legal to force the desegregation of public schools?7. Why or why not?8. In the photo of Elizabeth Eckford, what do you think Hazel Bryan was yelling at her?9. Why does the crowd behind her seem angry?10. Why is it important to understand the context surrounding a photograph?