The governor in Little Rock, Arkansas, who famously violated the 14th Amendment and defied the Supreme Court's desegregation decision was Orval Faubus. His actions during the Little Rock Crisis in 1957 ignited a major confrontation between state and federal authorities over school integration.
The Standoff: Governor Faubus and the Little Rock Nine
Orval Faubus, serving as the Governor of Arkansas, directly challenged the Supreme Court's landmark 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which declared state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment's Equal Protection Clause.
Key Events and Violations:
- Defiance of Federal Law: In September 1957, Governor Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine African American students, known as the "Little Rock Nine," from entering Little Rock Central High School. This was a direct defiance of a federal court order to desegregate the school.
- Violation of the 14th Amendment: By using state forces to block the entry of students based on race, Faubus was actively preventing them from receiving equal protection under the law and accessing educational opportunities, directly violating the principles enshrined in the 14th Amendment.
- Confrontation with the Presidency: This act of defiance led to a direct confrontation with the federal government. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was compelled to intervene, federalizing the Arkansas National Guard and deploying elements of the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock to ensure the safe entry of the Little Rock Nine into the school. This struggle between segregationists and integrationists, the State of Arkansas and the federal government, and specifically between President Eisenhower and Governor Faubus, became known as the "Little Rock Crisis" and garnered worldwide attention.
Context of the Crisis
The Little Rock Crisis was a pivotal moment in the American Civil Rights Movement, highlighting the significant resistance to desegregation efforts in the South. Governor Faubus's actions demonstrated the lengths some state officials would go to maintain segregation, underscoring the necessity of federal intervention to uphold constitutional rights and Supreme Court rulings.
| Key Figure | Role and Significance
