On September 4, 1957, nine African-American students were forcibly barred from entering a recently de-segregated public high school on the orders of their Governor. By the end of the month, President Dwight D. Eisenhower had intervened, calling on the U.S. Army to escort the students into Little Rock Central High School, where they faced verbal and physical assaults because of their race.

These nine students’ struggle to attain equal opportunities and a quality education have inspired generations of Americans. Central High School was established as a National Historic Site in 1998 and now presents interactive exhibits and oral histories on the complex history of the “Little Rock Nine” and the Civil Rights Movement in America.