Desegregation in Arkansas
Schools across Arkansas desegregated as a result of the United States Supreme Court decision on Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka in 1954. Students can learn about the movement to desegregate education in Arkansas.
The Little Rock Nine and the Central High School Crisis
The Little Rock Nine attended all-black high schools before registering to Central High School. Students will learn about the people behind that title, their experiences as the first African-Americans to attend Central High School, and the historic impact it had across the United States.
Butler Center Lesson Plan on Race Relations in Arkansas
The Butler Center for Arkansas Studies released a multi-part lesson plan about the history of race in the state. It begins with slavery, carries through the Civil Rights Movement, and ends with topics of a more contemporary society.
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- Chapter 1: Voices of Slavery
- Chapter 2: Secession and the Civil War
- Chapter 3: Reconstruction
- Chapter 4: An Unnatural Death: The End of Reconstruction
- Chapter 5: The Coming of Jim Crow
- Chapter 6: Creeping Toward the Abyss
- Chapter 7: Mass Movements and the Fight for Justice
- Chapter 8: Brown v. Board and the Arkansas Civil Righs Movement
- Chapter 9: Civil Rights Movement since the 1960s
- Chapter 10: Immigrants Working and Living in Arkansas
At the aftermath of the Imperial Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 that relocated Japanese-Americans living on the west coast to internment camps. These some 120,000 people moved to camps like those in two Arkansan towns, Rowher and Jerome. People lived in segregated housing, while children attended segregated schools away from the main population.
Mathematics
Students can use their knowledge in math and statistics to explore segregation in Arkansas History.
Ready-to-Print Posters
The Special Collections Department at the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville offers free, ready-to-print posters about the Central High School Desegregation Crisis. Teachers and students are encouraged to print out these posters and share the legacy of the Crisis with others.
Contributors for the educational materials: Carla Tindell of Ola High School and Butler Center for Arkansas Studies, Little Rock Central High School Historic Site, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville Special Occasions, Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, Arkansas State Archives, Rethinking Schools, and Facing History and Ourselves.