The First Attempt at Central High
On the morning of September 4, 1957, nine Black teenagers prepared to attend Little Rock Central High School in Arkansas. They had chosen to enter a school where white students had studied separately from Black students. But getting through the doors would not be as simple as showing up for class.
The students became known as the Little Rock Nine: Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray, Thelma Mothershed, and Melba Pattillo. Their decision grew out of a long struggle for equal rights in education.
A ruling and a plan
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that separating children in public schools by race was unconstitutional. This meant that such separation violated the U.S. Constitution. The ruling applied across the country, but it did not mean that every school changed immediately.
In Little Rock, the school board created a plan to begin desegregation, the process of ending separation by race in schools. Central High was to be the first school in the district to take this step. The nine students volunteered to attend. They knew that some white residents opposed desegregation, but they still wanted the opportunities available at Central High.
The morning of September 4
- opposed:
- Disagreed with or resisted something.
- volunteered:
- Chose to do something without being forced.
- hostile:
- Angry, unfriendly, or threatening.
- federal:
- Related to the national government.
- escorted:
- Accompanied someone to help guide or protect them.
- intervened:
- Stepped in to affect a situation.
- mistreatment:
- Unfair or hurtful treatment.
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Main Idea
Identify the central idea and explain how important details develop it.
Context Clues
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Summarize
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Purpose
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Structure
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Vocabulary
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Preview questions from this passageShowHide
- 1Why did the nine students volunteer to attend Central High despite opposition?
- 2How did the Supreme Court ruling differ from what happened on September 4?
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About this explanatory article passage for Upper Elementary
“The First Attempt at Central High” is a explanatory article reading passage about School desegregation, written for Upper Elementary. It takes about 3 minutes to read (509 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.