Question 1 • (2026-2027) Riggin -- American Government 2nd Nine Weeks (1st Semester) BLDG
Answer:
Before the Brown decision, African American students had to attend segregated schools, which often had fewer resources and worse facilities than schools for white students. In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Across many communities, integration met resistance, and some officials tried to delay or block Black students from entering white schools. At Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, threats and hostile crowds confronted the Little Rock Nine as they attempted to attend in 1957. Federal troops protected them and helped enforce the court’s decision. These events show African Americans had to fight unfair laws as well as intimidation and resistance to get equal educational opportunities.