Governor Orval Faubus attempted to maintain segregation in Arkansas by deploying the National Guard to prevent nine African American students from entering Little Rock Central High School in 1957. This act of defiance against federal desegregation orders drew national attention and sparked a significant crisis. Faubus's actions were rooted in his commitment to upholding segregationist policies and resisting the Civil Rights Movement, ultimately leading to a federal intervention when President Eisenhower sent troops to ensure the students' safety and enforce desegregation.
Little Rock High School, Arkansas
Governor Orval Faubus supported segregation primarily to maintain the status quo of racial discrimination in Arkansas and appeal to the white electorate, who largely opposed integration. His actions during the Little Rock Nine crisis in 1957, where he deployed the National Guard to prevent African American students from entering the racially integrated Central High School, were driven by a desire to uphold segregationist policies and assert his authority. Faubus's stance reflected the broader resistance to desegregation in the South during the Civil Rights Movement.
Orval Faubus was the Governor of Arkansas during this confrontation.
Governors Orval Faubus, Lester Maddox, and George Wallace shared a staunchly segregationist view during the 1950s and 1960s, opposing the civil rights movement and federal intervention aimed at desegregation. They each took measures to maintain racial segregation in their states, with Faubus famously resisting school desegregation in Little Rock, Arkansas, Maddox enforcing segregation in Georgia, and Wallace infamously declaring "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever" during his inaugural address in Alabama. Their actions reflected a broader resistance to civil rights reforms in the South during this period.
support Governor Faubus' fight against segregation
Orval Faubus
Orval Faubus
William Clintion
Orval Faubus, the former governor of Arkansas, was married to Mary A. Faubus. They were married in 1947 and had three children together. Mary Faubus was supportive of her husband's political career but largely stayed out of the public spotlight. She passed away in 2003, a few years after Faubus's death in 1994.
Orval Faubus
Governor Orval Faubus, who is best known for his opposition to desegregation during the Little Rock crisis in 1957, died on September 14, 1994. He passed away from complications related to cancer, specifically a long battle with the disease. Faubus was 84 years old at the time of his death.
Orval Faubus, the Governor of Arkansas, called in the National Guard in 1957 to prevent nine African American students, known as the Little Rock Nine, from entering Central High School in Little Rock. His decision was aimed at upholding segregation in response to the federal mandate to desegregate schools following the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision. Faubus sought to maintain control and appease segregationist sentiments in the state, leading to a significant confrontation between state and federal authorities.