Talk:Little Rock Nine

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[edit] Little Rock Nine in quotes or not?

I've noticed that the formatting of the words Little Rock Nine is inconsistent throughout the article... Should it be in quotes ("Little Rock Nine"), in italics, or with no special formatting since the nickname is very commonly used? Chainer29 22:41, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Armed Escort

According to several sources used in this article, the 101st did not escort the LR9 inside Central High to prevent harassment. In fact, harassment was rampant. (See the recent Vanity Fair article, for instance.) --anotherpanacea —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.54.95.17 (talk) 19:41, 17 October 2007 (UTC) This is my comment and edit. --Anotherpanacea 20:31, 20 October 2007 (UTC)

The students were escorted outside of school, not within it. Student harrassment was rampant and apparently unpunished. The Vanity Fair article on Elizabeth Eckford [1] lists the following harrassments:

"Within two weeks, whatever pockets of goodwill the black students initially encountered had evaporated. Instead, a distinct minority of segregationist students—estimates vary between 50 and 200—set the tone, intimidating all the others (few labels were more noxious than "nigger lover") into silence. Their campaign of unremitting but largely clandestine harassment was abetted by school officials who, fearful of making things even worse, ignored all but the most flagrant offenders. The black students, already scattered, became almost entirely isolated, none more than Elizabeth. In classes, she was made to sit by herself, always at the back, often with no one nearby. In the corridors, there was always a space around her. Even the few white children she knew steered clear: Please don't let them know you know me, their eyes seemed to plead. Only during the last class of the day—speech—did she encounter any friendly faces: two, fellow students named Ken Reinhardt and Ann Williams. "I can still see how she looked that [first] day," Ann Williams Wedaman recalls. "Nobody needs to be that lonely." A few other students did speak to her, it was true, but only to hear what "it" sounded like. Less than a week into school, Mrs. Huckaby later wrote, Elizabeth came into her office "red-eyed, her handkerchief in a damp ball in her hands." The harassment was so bad that she wanted to go home early. But things only got worse, as the disciplinary files, in the collection of Mrs. Huckaby's papers at the University of Arkansas, reveal. Sometime in October: Elizabeth hit with a shower of sharpened pencils. October 28: Elizabeth shoved in hall. November 20: Elizabeth jostled in gym. November 21: Elizabeth hit with paper clip. December 10: Elizabeth kicked. December 18: Elizabeth punched. January 10: Elizabeth shoved on the stairs. January 14: Elizabeth knocked flat. January 22: Elizabeth spat upon. January 29: Elizabeth attacked with spitballs. January 31: Elizabeth asks grandfather to take her home after girls serenade her with humiliating songs in gym class. February 4: Elizabeth has soda bottle thrown at her. February 14: Elizabeth attacked with rock-filled snowballs. March 7: Elizabeth hit by egg. March 12: Elizabeth hit by tomato. "She said that except for some broken glass thrown at her during lunch, she really had had a wonderful day," Mrs. Huckaby wrote at one point, apparently with a straight face." --Anotherpanacea 20:40, 20 October 2007 (UTC)

I agree, we need to work this in... Africana: The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience, cal the event "a riot" --I think this article takes a bit of a soft spin on what happned. futurebird 14:56, 27 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Federalized National Guard

The Wikipedia article states that the federalized National Guard troops "showed implacable restrain and courage from the taunts and jibes of students and bystanders." It then cites an old Time article, but nothing that suggests that is even IN that article; that article is about the Governor's lies about the 101st. Furthermore, the newest issue of Sports Illustrated paints a rather different picture of how the students were treated when the 101st was recalled and federalized National Guard troops were sent in their place. If no one can find an appropriate source for the statement currently in the article, I'm going to change it. --Hazillow 23:14, 10 April 2007 (UTC)


[edit] Little Rock Crisis

Does this look good, needs links to other articles, though. does the original page need to be deleted?Got118115147 02:33, 16 January 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Little Rock Nine

The encyclopedian heading is Little Rock, Arkansas Integration Crisis, not this dismissive journalistic monniker, which presumes the reader already knows all about it. The heading Little Rock itself redirects to Little Rock, Arkansas for the sake of those English-language Wikipedia readers who are not Americans. When readers complain that Wikipedia is American-centered it's headings like this one they are referring to. --Wetman 21:56, 16 Feb 2005 (UTC)

The name "Little Rock Nine" is used in textbooks and history books. Using an invented name that no one uses is unencyclopedic. Calling the incident the "Little Rock, Arkansas Integration Crisis" is like saying the "American-French-British Battle of Yorktown, Virginia," instead of the Battle of Yorktown, or the "North American Mississippi River" instead of the Mississippi River. Its confusing and unwiedly. The "French and Indian War" is a stupid name for a war, but that's the name we're stuck with. Not having a worldview is when someone keeps saying "soccer" instead of the correct word, "football."
I don't see how anyone can even comprehend what this article is about without some prerequisite knowledge of U.S. history or a basic understanding of the structure of its government. There's more at stake here than just the question of institutionialized racism. This incident also involves federalism, state's rights, and the constitutional authority of the U.S. Supreme Court and the President.
Winston Ho (2006 Oct. 25).
Metairie, Louisiana.
Little Rock Nine is a superior (and obvious) title. Thanks. On another subject, you ought to sign your posts with four tildes (~~~~) and you will get both your name and the correct date. -- Sholom 13:17, 26 October 2006 (UTC)

"Elizabeth Eckford did not get to ride the bus so she walked like she was a brave girl with an angry mob and a white woman her guide to safety." - I removed that line from the article as it seemed to just randomly be there for no reason. Perhaps it was a leftover from other edits? uberblue 03:13, 3 April 2006 (UTC)

[edit] National Guard Troops

I was under the impression it was Orval Faubus who recalled the Arkansas National Guard (after meeting with Eisenhower), not that they were federalized and recalled by Eisenhower. is there a source on the federalization of the Arkansas National Guard?Gsham 03:27, 13 September 2006 (UTC)

Even a few Eisenhower tribute pages seem to give credit to the President for withdrawing the Arkansas National Guard. This may be more of a political claim rather than a matter of history. From what I've found from the Internet, Judge Ronald Davies issued a court order demanding Faubus to recall the Guard. Faubus had put himself into a lose-lose political situation. He could either be seen as surrendering to out-of-state political pressure and betraying his segregationist supporters, or he could be seen as prolonging an invented a crisis that inflated his own reputation while tarnishing the reputation of the entire state of Arkansas. Judge Davies's court order may have given Faubus the excuse he needed to electively withdraw the Guard and tell everyone that he had no choice. Regardless of his true motives, the court order allowed the Governor to escape from the situation before the President actually did hijack the National Guard from him, which the Presdient does have the power to do.
Winston Ho (2005 Oct. 25).
Metairie, Louisiana.

the little rock crisis page needs tro be deleted admins

It really should be merged. They are the same thing?!!!--Adasarathy 00:38, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Question

Just to educate myself. It says here that the president deployed the 101st Airborne Division to escort the children to school. However, isn't there a law in the states prohibiting the deployment of the US army on US soil, under any circumstances? Can someone explain to me how was the president legally able to do so? Thanks, Volland 07:08, 4 September 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Civil Rights

It says in the first paragraph it was important in African-American Civil Rights. I suggest it simply be the Civil Rights Movement, since if African-Americans had not triumphed in this case, the lack of civil rights was bound to affect other groups and people. It paved the way for all minorities, the civil rights movement even resulted in the ADA. 69.210.253.211 15:18, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Paratroopers?

Why does it state paratroopers were involved? Unless I'm mistaken, paratroopers jump out of planes; they don't guard roads.--TyGuy92 (talk) 01:36, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

I don't see where it says "state paratroopers." The only place I see that it talks about paratroopers at all it is referring to members of the 101st Airborne Division. They, at the time, were paratroopers. (today they are air assault). In the same paragraph it is talking about Tennessee Army National guard taking over for the paratroopers (101st). Is that what you are talking about? Jons63 (talk) 01:45, 11 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Oprah Winfrey Show

I know there's an Oprah show about the Little Rock Nine, which also includes some of the kids who harassed them and apologised, perhaps someone would like to include that in the article? Mrparkers (talk) 02:51, 3 June 2008 (UTC)