Desegregation – Integration Issues – Personal Decision Sheet
Directions: For this exercise, one must assume the following conditions are actual.
The civil rights movement enlightened American citizens, white and black, on the issues that young African Americans faced daily in their schools. Lack of updated reading materials, improper instruction, and absence of opportunities continued to be the leading cause of declining student attendance at local African-American schools.
In 1957, President Eisenhower passed a court order demanding that schools be desegregated. This was a massive win for the civil rights movement, but tensions heated up when the issue of which schools were to be integrated became the forefront of the news.
The order has concluded that Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, will be desegregated. To halt this order, Arkansas Governor Faubus called in the Arkansas National Guard to blockade the entrance to the school. In response, Mayor Mann appealed to President Eisenhower to intervene, and the President sent in 1,000 army paratroopers to enforce the court order.
You were the commander of the Arkansas National Guard in 1957.
Governor Faubus has ordered you to prevent nine students from attending school, but Mayor Mann and President Eisenhower have issued their orders. You disagree with Governor Faubus’ order, but you also need the job with the state, and the only way to join the army paratroopers would be to defy your orders and go against your family and friends.
- You are committed to making the best decision for the state of Arkansas for all of its citizens.
- Tensions heat up, and white rioters and police have already harmed many African Americans in Little Rock. People are outraged at this violence.
- You are personally in favor of allowing the students to integrate into the Little Rock school system, and many of your platoon members are. However, you have orders from the state government that you cannot ignore.
- You know there are members of various civil rights organizations that will protect the nine students as they make their way to school.
- You realize that when the students make their way to school, there will be teachers and staff who will not welcome the students into the school. This would negatively affect their education.
- You are also concerned that allowing the students to attend the integrated school could face backlash from other classmates and school staff. Civil rights members cannot protect the students within the school walls; they are all alone.
- You have heard from your lesser officer that the school must educate the nine students just as they would any other student, so the teachers are held accountable for the student’s instruction.
- By defying orders from the governor, you are risking your position within the Arkansas National Guard.
- You have to consider the possible issues of not allowing the students passage to school and how allowing it would affect the city and state.
- You know that a good education is indispensable, but what costs the other students attending the school. How will the other students ‘ education be affected by desegregation if the students attend school?
You have weighed all the options and have concluded which would best align with your morals. This is not a simple “yes” or “no” decision. Could there be an alternate solution?
Directions: As an individual, take time to review the situation. Then, think about what you would do if you were a part of the Arkansas National Guard in 1957 and how you would respond to the situation. Record the decision for the following statements in the space provided below. When you are finished, confer with your group and conclude.
- At least three likely results of NOT going along with Governor Faubus’ order:
a.
b.
c.
- At least three likely results of going along with Governor Faubus’ order:
a.
b.
c.
- Besides following orders and defying them, choose two other choices to help the nine students safely make their way to school.
a.
b.
- When it is time to act on your decision, you will tell your family, friends, and staff sergeant that the best thing for your to do is:
- Your justification of your decision is:
- The two most significant benefits of your decision are:
a.
b.
Desegregation – Integration Issues – Group Decision Sheet
Directions: For this exercise, one must assume the following conditions are actual.
The civil rights movement enlightened American citizens, white and black, on the issues that young African Americans faced daily in their schools. Lack of updated reading materials, improper instruction, and absence of opportunities continued to be the leading cause of declining student attendance at local African-American schools.
In 1957, President Eisenhower passed a court order demanding that schools be desegregated. This was a massive win for the civil rights movement, but tensions heated up when the issue of which schools were to be integrated became the forefront of the news.
The order has concluded that Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, will be desegregated. To halt this order, Arkansas Governor Faubus called in the Arkansas National Guard to blockade the entrance to the school. In response, Mayor Mann appealed to President Eisenhower to intervene, and the President sent in 1,000 army paratroopers to enforce the court order.
You were the commander of the Arkansas National Guard in 1957.
Governor Faubus has ordered you to prevent nine students from attending school, but Mayor Mann and President Eisenhower have issued their orders. You disagree with Governor Faubus’ order, but you also need the job with the state, and the only way to join the army paratroopers would be to defy your orders and go against your family and friends.
- You are committed to making the best decision for the state of Arkansas for all of its citizens.
- Tensions heat up, and white rioters and police have already harmed many African Americans in Little Rock. People are outraged at this violence.
- You are personally in favor of allowing the students to integrate into the Little Rock school system, and many of your platoon members are. However, you have orders from the state government that you cannot ignore.
- You know there are members of various civil rights organizations that will protect the nine students as they make their way to school.
- You realize that when the students make their way to school, there will be teachers and staff who will not welcome the students into the school. This would negatively affect their education.
- You are also concerned that allowing the students to attend the integrated school could face backlash from other classmates and school staff. Civil rights members cannot protect the students within the school walls; they are all alone.
- You have heard from your lesser officer that the school must educate the nine students just as they would any other student, so the teachers are held accountable for the student’s instruction.
- By defying orders from the governor, you are risking your position within the Arkansas National Guard.
- You have to consider the possible issues of not allowing the students passage to school and how allowing it would affect the city and state.
- You know that a good education is indispensable, but what costs the other students attending the school. How will the other students ‘ education be affected by desegregation if the students attend school?
You have weighed all the options and have concluded which would best align with your morals. This is not a simple “yes” or “no” decision. Could there be an alternate solution?
Directions: As a group, take time to review the situation. Then, think about what the group might do if it were a part of the Arkansas National Guard in 1957 and how it would respond. Record the decision for the following statements in the space provided below.
- At least three likely results of NOT going along with Governor Faubus’ order:
a.
b.
c.
- At least three likely results of going along with Governor Faubus’ order:
a.
b.
c.
- Besides following orders and defying them, choose two other choices to help the nine students safely make their way to school.
a.
b.
- When it is time for the group to act on your decision, the group informs family, friends, and the staff sergeant that the best action to do is:
- The group’s justification for this decision is:
- The two most significant benefits of the group’s decision are:
a.
b.
Questions for Review and Reflection
Suggested follow-up questions to focus and guide inquiry, reflection, and learning.
- When the group realized that everyone would have to decide whether or not to cooperate with the governor’s orders, which points influenced the vote the most? Why?
- As a result of the group decision, what are the two consequences the group believes, as the commander of the National Guard, will have to live with?
- If the group was faced with a conflict between upholding the commanding responsibility to the civilians and what is in the best interest of the United States, which choice would the group make? Why?
- What would keep someone from acting on what they believe is morally and constitutionally right?