a. Read the  YAWP  readings – links provided at the bottom.  

b. Read Chapter 5 of the  US History online text. 

c. Review the  PowerPoint provided.

Questions to answer in your essay:

From the YAWP reading, what new information did you learn from George R.T. Hewes’ personal account of the Boston Tea Party? 

From the YAWP reading, what tactics does Thomas Paine use to convince colonists to oppose a monarchy? 

Read through the  Acts, in chapter 5 of the US History online text, put upon the colonists by the King of England. What message was the King sending the colonists? 

The Declaration of Independence has been called the ultimate break-up letter. It is a letter to the King of England and it also encourages that colonists to what to separate themselves from the King; the reasons are listed out why "he" is terrible. How did the men who signed the Declaration essentially sign their death warrants? 

Why was the anti-slavery clause removed from the final draft? Do some research on your own. 

What does the anti-slavery clause call slaves? Do you find this shocking? 

What was the public’s reaction to John Adams’ serving as legal representation of the British soldiers following the Boston Massacre? Research on your own. 

Why did the colonists and military leaders rely so heavily on spies during the war? 

Guerilla warfare tactics are one of the reasons that the Colonists won the war. Who did they learn these tactics from? 

YAWP Reading: Thomas Paine Calls for American independence, 1776

Professor Jones

U.S. History 1877 to Present

August 20, 2018

Little Rock Nine

The Little Rock Nine helped to give power and force to the Civil Rights Movement by participating in the desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. Their actions are recognized as one of three events that helped spark a revolution for the equality of the races in the United States of America. The Little Rock Nine consisted of: Minnijean Brown, Terrance Roberts, Elizabeth Eckford, Ernest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Patillo, Gloria Ray, Jefferson Thomas, and Carlotta Walls. Ernest Green was the first African-American to graduate from Central High School, and Martin Luther King Jr. attended his graduation ceremony (Stanford University). The others also graduated and continued their education at various universities.

Central High School in Little Rock was a school in Arkansas that, like all schools at this time, still operated under the segregation laws. In order to spark the change for desegregation, the president of Arkansas’ branch of The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Daisy Bates, recruited students to attend Central High School (Stanford University). The nine African-American students chosen to desegregate Central High were to meet together on September 4, 1957 and enter the school building. However, Ms. Bates heard that several whites were planning violent actions to stop the children from entering the building. Ms. Bates called the parents of eight of the nine children and informed them that the entry date had been delayed. However, Elizabeth Eckford’s mother did not have a phone and did not get word of the change (Fitzgerald, 14-15).

Elizabeth Eckford’s mother had purchased a new, white dress for the occasion of her daughter getting to attend Central High School, which was known as the school to attend in Little Rock if you wanted to go to college. Elizabeth took the bus, alone, to the school, expecting to see Ms. Bates and the other eight students waiting. To her shock and disbelief, she did not see her friends or Ms. Bates, but saw armed guards and thought that they were there for her protection. She then tried entering the school and found that the guards were not there to protect her but to keep her out. A mob of white people then began to form behind her, slandering her, and putting fear into her as she ran for the bus stop. She sat and waited for that bus while the crowd behind her screamed and cursed at her (Fitzgerald, 20-22).

The Little Rock Nine continued to face adversity and obstacles on their path of integration and to equality. White mobs threw stones at them and at the school attempting to end their path. Along with the mobs were approximately 270 National Guardsmen sent by the Arkansas Governor Faubus who was a proponent of white supremacy and segregation (Fitzgerald, 22-26). These attempts to put out of the spark of integration incited a team of lawyers from the NAACP, including Thurgood Marshall, to win a federal district court injunction so that Governor Faubus could no longer stop the Little Rock Nine from entering the school. On September 23, 1957, the Little Rock Nine were finally allowed to enter Central High as students (Stanford University).

Martin Luther King Jr. sent a telegram to President Eisenhower concerning the Little Rock Nine. Dr. King said that, if the president did not take a stance against the injustices in Little Rock, the process of integration would be set back fifty years. Once Eisenhower realized that the incident was becoming an international problem, the president sent the Army’s 101st Airborne Division to protect the students for the rest of the year (Stanford University).

The Little Rock Nine’s problems would not end on just the first day. The idea of segregation and white supremacy were so ingrained in the minds of the other students that they too became hostile towards the Little Rock Nine. Throughout the year, the other students would burn African-American students’ books, cover everything in their lockers with ink, and urinate on their books, and make their lives at Central High as difficult as possible. Melba Patillo was even sprayed in the face with acid from a water gun, but luckily, one of the guardsmen saw the incident and rinsed her face with water, stopping any permanent damage. The African-American students and their parents received death threats and all kinds of harassment (Fitzgerald, 87).

Rather than give in to the Supreme Court’s ruling for integration, Arkansas’ Governor Faubus decided to close all four of Little Rock’s public schools. However, in December of 1959 the Supreme Court ruled that the schools must reopen and allow access to all students (Stanford University).

The Little Rock Nine helped change our country and helped bring to light the problems faced by African-Americans, especially students desiring a good education. Without their courage and sacrifice, the Civil Rights Movement would not have had the force it needed to persevere. Several books and articles have been written about these nine African-American students, and they continue to be a source of inspiration of people still fighting for equal rights in the twenty-first century.

Works Cited

Fitzgerald, Stephanie. The Little Rock Nine : Struggle for Integration. Minneapolis, MN : Compass Point Books, 2007.

That your Sex are Naturally Tyrannical is a Truth so thoroughly established as to admit of no dispute, but such of you as wish to be happy willingly give up the harsh title of Master for the more tender and endearing one of Friend. Why then, not put it out of the power of the vicious and the Lawless to use us with cruelty and indignity with impunity. Men of Sense in all Ages abhor those customs which treat us only as the vassals of your Sex. Regard us then as Beings placed by providence under your protection and in immitation of the Supreem Being make use of that power only for our happiness.

I set myself down to comply with my Friends request, who I think seem’s rather low spiritted.

I did write last week, but not meeting with an early conveyance I thought the Letter of But little importance and tos’d it away. I acknowledg my Thanks due to my Friend for the entertainment she so kindly afforded me in the Characters drawn in her Last Letter, and if coveting my Neighbours Goods was not prohibited by the Sacred Law, I should be most certainly tempted to envy her the happy talant she possesses above the rest of her Sex, by adorning with her pen even trivial occurances, as well as dignifying the most important. Cannot you communicate some of those Graces to your Friend and suffer her to pass them upon the World for her own that she may feel a little more upon an Eaquality with you?—Tis true I often receive large packages from P[hiladelphi]a. They contain as I said before more News papers than Letters, tho they are not forgotton. It would be hard indeed if absence had not some alleviations.

I dare say he writes to no one unless to Portia oftner than to your Friend, because I know there is no one besides in whom he has an eaquel confidence. His Letters to me have been generally short, but he pleads in Excuse the critical state of affairs and the Multiplicity of avocations and says further that he has been very Busy, and writ near ten Sheets of paper, about some affairs which he does not chuse to Mention for fear of accident.

He is very sausy to me in return for a List of Female Grievances which I transmitted to him. I think I will get you to join me in a petition to Congress. I thought it was very probable our wise Statesmen would erect a New Goverment and form a new code of Laws. I ventured to speak a word in behalf of our Sex, who are rather hardly dealt with by the Laws of England which gives such unlimitted power to the Husband to use his wife Ill.

I requested that our Legislators would consider our case and as all Men of Delicacy and Sentiment are averse to Excercising the power they possess, yet as there is a natural propensity in Humane Nature to domination, I thought the most generous plan was to put it out of the power of the Arbitary and tyranick to injure us with impunity by Establishing some Laws in our favour upon just and Liberal principals.

I believe I even threatned fomenting a Rebellion in case we were not considerd, and assured him we would not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we had neither a voice, nor representation.

In return he tells me he cannot but Laugh at My Extrodonary Code of Laws. That he had heard their Struggle had loosned the bands of Goverment, that children and apprentices were dissabedient, that Schools and Colledges were grown turbulant, that Indians slighted their Guardians, and Negroes grew insolent to their Masters. But my Letter was the first intimation that another Tribe more numerous and powerfull than all the rest were grown discontented. This is rather too coarse a complement, he adds, but that I am so sausy he wont blot it out.

So I have help’d the Sex abundantly, but I will tell him I have only been making trial of the Disintresstedness of his Virtue, and when weigh’d in the balance have found it wanting.

It would be bad policy to grant us greater power say they since under all the disadvantages we Labour we have the assendancy over their Hearts

And charm by accepting, by submitting sway.

I wonder Apollo and the Muses could not have indulged me with a poetical Genious. I have always been a votary to her charms but never could assend Parnassus myself.

I am very sorry to hear of the indisposition of your Friend. I am affraid it will hasten his return, and I do not think he can be spaired.

“Though certain pains attend the cares of State

A Good Man owes his Country to be great

Should act abroad the high distinguishd part

or shew at least the purpose of his heart.”