little rock follow up blog

 Alice Korkin

Mr. Roddy

IHSS

May 3, 2021

Little Rock Documents

Document 1: Western Union Telegram pg. 85

“The immediate need for troops is urgent. The mob is much larger in numbers at 8 am than at any time yesterday people are converging on the scene from all directions mob is armed and engaging in fisticuffs and other acts of violence. Situation is out of control and police cannot disperse the mob I am pleading to you as president of the United States in the interest of humanity law and order and because of democracy worldwide to provide the necessary federal troops within several hours. Action by you will restore peace and order and compliance with your compliance.

Woodrow Wilson Mann Mayor of Littlerock Arkansas.”

I found this telegram very interesting because local police could no longer control the mob at the school. It showed how mad the white people were when the government started integrating schools. The mayor stated that the mob was armed. I think that this is ridiculous because it’s a school and people that are my age were attending it. I also can imagine how the little rock 9 felt. Before integration, they were normal black teens attending a segregated school. But then they were put in the spotlight for the entire united states. I think that this was a good leap forward because it got everyone’s attention. 

Document 2: “They Spat in My Face” pg 92

“Suddenly I saw a white-haired, kind-faced woman fighting her way through the mob. She looked at Elizabeth and then screamed at the mob, ‘Leave this child alone! Why are you tormenting her? Six months from now, you will hang your heads in shame.’”

This entire story shocked me but my main takeaway was these couple sentences. The racists weren’t only disrespectful towards blacks but also to people that supported integration. The entire country was split in half, and they all hated each other. Also knowing that this event was taking place in the south the situation could have escalated very quickly and it did. The whites were talking about lynching and “tying people to a tree.” The reporter that was covering the story was also Jewish and the mob wanted to also lynch him because he was helping Elizabeth Eckford. They said that “they would deal with him later.”

Document 3: “Holding Up a Mirror” pg 96

“Several Life magazine reporters were beaten badly by the mob early in the crisis, and then the reporters were arrested by local officials for having been beaten up. The [TV] network people, because of their high visibility, the familiarity of their faces, and the obvious presence of their cameramen, were particularly vulnerable.”

In the previous story, I said that the one reporter was verbally abused but he wasn’t the only one. In this story, they said that the reporters were huge targets of the mob. The segregationists were targeting everyone that wasn’t on their side. Some reporters were pretty famous because people came from all over the U.S. The visual reporters were the biggest target because people knew their faces. I think that this was important because reporters are just doing their jobs and getting into a lot of danger.

Document 4: “Can One Student Make a Difference?” pg113

“The challenge is yours, as future adults of America, to prove your maturity, intelligence, and ability to make decisions by how you react, behave, and conduct yourself in this controversial question. What is your answer to this challenge?”

The little rock nine weren't just representing themselves, I think they were representing the entire black community when going into school. As I said earlier, all of America's eyes were on them. How they acted in school could affect their entire education and how they lived. They were surrounded by hundreds of white students that probably despise them. If one of the black students got in trouble, they couldn't help each other out.