Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site

Broadcast around the world, the events at this high school made Little Rock the site of the first important test of the U.S. Supreme Court’s historic Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka decision. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower was compelled by white mob violence to use federal troops to ensure the rights of African-American children to attend the previously all-white school, he became the first president since the post-Civil War Reconstruction period to use federal troops in support of African-American civil rights.

Located across the intersection from the school, the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site Visitor Center contains interactive exhibits on the 1957 desegregation crisis at Little Rock Central High School with several audio-visual programs (open captioned) that introduce visitors to the multi-layered and complex history of the events at Little Rock Central High School in 1957. In addition, the exhibits contain interactive oral history listening stations where visitors can learn about the events directly from the participants.

 

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