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Today in History: Faubus Deploys Guard to Bar Little Rock Integration

9/4/2026

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Summary

Story summary

On September 4, 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus ordered the state National Guard to block the Little Rock Nine—nine African-American students—from entering Little Rock Central High School, directly defying the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board ruling. The standoff sparked a national crisis that later required President Eisenhower to federalize the Guard and enforce integration.

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Story summary

On September 4, 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus ordered the state National Guard to block the Little Rock Nine—nine African-American students—from entering Little Rock Central High School, directly defying the Supreme Court’s Brown v. Board ruling. The standoff sparked a national crisis that later required President Eisenhower to federalize the Guard and enforce integration.