Then: Little Rock Nine
Nine new students enrolled in Little Rock Central. The first African Americans to register at an all-white high school after Brown vs. Board of Education – the Supreme Court decision that declared segregation in public education unconstitutional.
On their first day of class, the students met an onslaught of angry protesters. And racial slurs. Flying rocks. And death threats.
When the nine brave teens finally reached the school, they couldn't get through the door. 270 armed Arkansas National Guard troops stood in their way.