The document is a DBQ created by Christy Thomas for students to evaluate historical sources related to the Little Rock Nine and school desegregation at Little Rock Central High School in 1957. It includes primary sources like images, texts, and video to give context and perspectives on the events. Students are asked essential questions to analyze the roots of the conflict, motivations of those involved, and which documents provided the most understanding. The DBQ allows students to engage in historical thinking by analyzing a variety of sources on a pivotal event in the Civil Rights Movement.

1. LITTLE ROCK NINE:
EVALUATING
HISTORICAL
SOURCES
Designed by Christy Thomas

2. 2
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) declared that “separate
but equal” schools were inherently UNequal. The court ordered
that the desegregated public schools across the country, but
implementing the ruling was another process. In the following
pages, you will evaluate a number of images, texts and video
footage to understand the situation at Little Rock Central High
School.
Little Rock Central High School:
In the fall of 1957, Little Rock became the symbol of state
resistance to school desegregation. Arkansas Governor Orval
E. Faubus directly questioned the sanctity of the federal court
system and the authority of the United States Supreme Court's
desegregation ruling while nine African-American high school
students sought an education at the all-white Little Rock Central
High School.
The controversy in Little Rock was the first fundamental test of
the United States resolve to enforce African-American civil
rights in the face of massive southern defiance during the
period following the Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
decisions. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower was
compelled by white mob violence to use federal troops to
ensure the rights of African-American children to attend the
previously all-white school, he became the first president since
the post-Civil War Reconstruction period to use federal troops
in support of African-American civil rights.
(Source http://www.nps.gov/chsc/historyculture/index.htm)
Essential Questions:
This chapter examines the historic setting of the Little Rock
Nine though a variety of documents. They include news
photographs of the events, governor's proclamation, historic
essays, Presidential speech, TV news reports and video
reflections by participants.
Your task is to understand the context of these documents and
decide which are most helpful to your understanding of the
conflict.
What do you see as the roots of the conflict?
What motivated the different players involved?
Which documents do you learn the most from?

3. 3
Document 1.1 Gov. Faubus’ State of Emergency
Proclamation
UT
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affixed.
ot Little
te r,
Source: Special Collections, University of Arkansas Libraries
Crisis of 1957
STATE OF ARKANSAS
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT
PROCLAMATION
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME --- GREETINGS:
WHEREAS: The Governor of the State of Arkansas is vested with the
authority to order to active duty the Militia of this State in case of tumult, riot or breach of peace,
or imminent danger thereof; and
WHEREAS: it has been made known to me, as Governor, from my sources,
that there is imminent danger of tumult, riot and breach of the peace and the doing of violence to
persons and property in Pulaski County, Arkansas;
NW, THEREFORE, I Orval E. Faubus, Governor of the State of Arkansas, do
hereby proclaim that a state of emergency presently exists and I do hereby order to active duty
Major General Sherman T. Clinger, the Adjutant General of Arkansas, the State Militia units
consisting of the Base Detachment at Adams Field and the State Headquarters Detachment at
Camp Robinson, and any other units which may be necessary to accomplish the mission
of maintaining or restoring law and order and to preserve the peace, health, safety and security
of the citizens of Pulaski County, Arkansas.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great
Seal of the State of Arkansas to be affixed. Done in office in the City
of Little Rock this 2nd day of September, 1957.
[Orval E. Faubus, signature]
GOVERNOR
Source: http://scipio.uark.edu/cdm/ref/collection/Civilrights/id/1254

4. 4
Document 1.2 Elizabeth & Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock
Prologue: Two Dresses
Early in the morning of September 4, 1957, two girls in Little Rock,
Arkansas, each fifteen years old, dressed for school.
On a block of black families nestled in the west side of town, in the
small brick house she shared with her parents and five brothers and
sisters, Elizabeth Eckford put on a skirt that her older sister, Anna,
and she had made just for this day. The immaculate white cotton
pique felt cool and soft to the touch; when Elizabeth and Anna, who
had labored over it for several weeks, had run out of fabric, they'd
trimmed the deep hem with navy blue and white gingham. The new
skirt's double rows of gathers made it seem to have tiny pleats, and it
appeared especially crisp because Elizabeth had ironed it one last
time the night before. Buoyed by the petticoat she wore underneath, it
encircled her tiny waist like a bell – one that rang out the tidings of
new beginnings. Fashionable and yet modest, descending well below
her knees, the pretty skirt was complemented by the rest of what she
had chosen to wear that morning: the plain white blouse (which she'd
also made), the loafers, the bobby sox. She could just as easily have
been going to church, and in a way she was, because for Elizabeth,
learning was much more meaningful, and useful, than prayer.
A few miles away, in a house much like Elizabeth's but in a
neighborhood that was all white, Hazel Bryan selected something
very different. It was a sleek dress of cool mint-green, with a
triangular white sash at the top pointing suggestively to her bosom,
and a ribbon tied provocatively around her midriff.
She'd bought it a few months earlier at one of the "classy" department
stores downtown, maybe Blass or Pfeiffer's, with around ten of the
scarce dollars her mother earned making lightbulbs at Westinghouse.
What similarities do you see between Elizabeth
and Hazel’s actions that morning?
What questions does this document raise in
your mind?
Excerpt from Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of
Little Rock, by David Margolick, published October
2011 by Yale University Press. Copyright 2011 by
Yale University Press.
http://www.npr.org/books/titles/140953114/
elizabeth-and-hazel-two-women-of-little-
rock#excerpt

5. 5
What do you notice about
Elizabeth & Hazel in this
photograph?
What emotions do their faces
express?
How would you describe the
other people in the photograph?
Image source: http://www.nps.gov/
nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/crandall/
CRvisual5.htm
IMAGE 1.1 Student interaction on the way to Central High School
September 4, 1957
Elizabeth Eckford
Hazel Bryan

6. 6
Document 1.3 Elizabeth & Hazel: Two Women of Little Rock
Prologue: Two Dresses - continued
Two girls, one black, one white, born less than four months apart,
each about to begin eleventh grade. Within a few minutes of each
other, they set out for the same destination: Little Rock Central High
School. They did not know, nor – in the world of the South in the
1950s – would they have ever encountered, each other before,
except perhaps when they rode the same buses or passed on a
downtown street or sat – on different levels – in a local movie theater.
But within an hour or so they would, and from that moment on, their
lives would be inextricably intertwined. For long after that – as long,
in fact, as the tortured saga of relations between the races, in the
United States and everywhere else, still mattered, or as long, when it
came right down to it, as people can see – they would be linked.
When Hazel got home that afternoon, she took off the dress and
changed into something more comfortable – boy's jeans, perhaps;
they didn't yet make them for girls – and hung it up for the next time.
Doubtless, there would be many next times – dances, dates, more
school days – to put it on. But when Elizabeth removed her skirt that
night, then folded it up and handed it to her mother, she already
knew she would never wear it, or even want to see it, again. As
everyone else was coming to recognize it – for a time, that simple
cotton skirt was just about the most famous piece of clothing in the
world – Elizabeth set out to forget about it. It promptly went into the
attic, and no one – Elizabeth included – ever laid eyes on it again.
What do you learn about the events of the day
from the essay and photo?
How do the essay and photo compare in
reliability?
Why do you think the photograph on the
preceding page became the image most people
associated with Central High School and the
desegregation movement?
Excerpt from Elizabeth and Hazel: Two Women of
Little Rock, by David Margolick, published October
2011 by Yale University Press. Copyright 2011 by
Yale University Press.

7. 7
Television was a relatively new medium in the 1950s, as most
people were used to hearing the news via radio. This
presidential address was one of the early Presidential
Addresses the general public would have seen.
As you watch the address and read the transcript, compare
the effectiveness of the new medium.
Page 1
GALLERY 1.1 Text of President Eisenhower’s Speech
MOVIE 1.1 Eisenhower’s Address on Little Rock School
Integration Problem
Source video YouTube

8. 8
What were Governor Faubus’ political motivations
for deploying the National Guard (at 0:17) and
then removing the Guard (at 6:00)?
After watching the videos and reading the texts,
who do you see as responsible for the Little Rock
Crisis? Think about the political stakes involved
for President Eisenhower and Governor Faubus
leading up to the September events.
MOVIE 1.2 The Little Rock 9 - Arkansas 1957
News footage from 1957 showing actions of Arkansas Governor
Earl Faubus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xERXusiEszs

9. 9
IMAGE 1.2 101st Airborne soldiers escort black students into Central High School
IMAGE 1.3 Troops of 101st Airborne Escort the Little
Rock Nine
Image 9.2: http://scipio.uark.edu/cdm/ref/collection/Civilrights/id/
204
What kind of flag is the seated white student holding?
What was the intent of the flag?
Image 9.3: http://scipio.uark.edu/cdm/ref/collection/Civilrights/id/
242
How does the caption from Image 9.3 change
your interpretation of that day’s events?

10. 10
IMAGE 1.4 Central High School White Students Attack
Black Effigy
http://scipio.uark.edu/cdm/ref/collection/Civilrights/id/
205
IMAGE 1.5 Cartoon Depicting One of the Little
Rock Nine
http://scipio.uark.edu/cdm/ref/collection/
Civilrights/id/890
These two images show two
different perspectives related
to how black students were
perceived at Little Rock
Central High School.
Image 9.4 What do you
notice about the crowd’s
reaction to the white
student attacking the black
effigy? What message does
the photo send to black
students?
Image 9.5 How is the
cartoon a contrast to the
photograph? What
message does the cartoon
send to white students?

11. 11
What stays the same and/or changes in the reflections
from the Little Rock Nine in the two movies?
Features the nine black students who integrated Central High
School in Little Rock, AR in 1957. Describes the individual
achievements of these students during the seven years that
followed. Winner of the 1965 Academy of Motion Picture Arts
and Sciences “Best Documentary” Award.
MOVIE 1.3 Little Rock Nine - Reflections in 1964
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUd6dDVCIKs
Members of the Little Rock Nine look back in time and describe
their experiences at Central High School in 1954 (footage from
the 1990s).
Source: http://www.nps.gov/chsc/historyculture/oral-history.htm
MOVIE 1.4 Little Rock Nine Students - Reflections after 40 years

12. 12
IMAGE 1.6 Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division escort African-American students to
Central High School
Soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division escort African-American students to Central High
School in Little Rock in Sept. 1957, after the governor of Arkansas tried to enforce segregation.
Photo courtesy National Archives
https://www.flickr.com/photos/soldiersmediacenter/1402564530/
Essential Questions:
After reviewing the documents,
videos and images, you should have
an understanding of the context of
these documents.
What do you see as the roots of
the conflict?
What motivated the different
players involved?
Which documents did you learn
the most from?

13. 13
IMAGE 1.7 Mob Marching from Arkansas State Capitol to Central High
School
http://scipio.uark.edu/cdm/ref/collection/Civilrights/id/224
Final Reflection:
As I approached the DBQ assignment, I decided to use images and
texts from a literacy class assignment I had just completed. At first, I
thought I had a head start, since I had a collection already curated,
but as I continued with the assignment I realized I had started in the
wrong place. While it was nice to have images and text, I should have
started with the essential question AND what I wanted students to
experience as they worked through the DBQ.
Working backwards, one of the challenges is finding the essential
question that ties everything together. My previous assignment was
over a broad topic – the Civil Rights Movement – which I’ve realized is
much too broad for a DBQ exercise. Finding the right essential
question was key to finding a way to connect the materials together.
The next step was to really think about what I wanted my students to
learn as they worked through the DBQ. My first set of materials were
loosely related, but would require students to take some large leaps to
find the connections. Even with scaffolding questions, it seemed like a
stretch. Once I had an essential question identified, then I could focus
on the historical thinking skills I wanted students to experience as they
worked through the DBQ.
This experience reminds me that the only way to get better at
something new is to continue to practice. I have a much better sense
of how to organize my thoughts around creating a DBQ and look
forward to adding this learning experience to my curriculum
development skills.
~ Christy Thomas AboutMe

14.
Complete iBook available
free at iTunes
FROM - EXPLORING
HISTORY: VOL II

15. This eBook is a collaborative project of Peter Pappas
and his Fall 2014 Social Studies Methods Class
School of Education ~ University of Portland, Portland Ore.
Graduate and undergraduate level pre-service teachers were assigned the
task of developing an engaging research question, researching supportive
documents and curating them into a DBQ suitable for middle or high
school students.
For more on this class, visit the course blog EdMethods
For more on the assignment and work flow tap here.
Chapters in chronological order
1. The American Revolution by Scott Deal
2. The Pig War by Andy Saxton
3. Cesspool of Savagery by Michelle Murphy
4. Chemical War by Erik Nelson
5. Americans’ Perceptions of Immigration
in the 1920s by Ceci Brunning and Jenna Bunnell
6. The New Deal and the Art of Public Persuasion
by Kari VanKommer
7. Combat Soldiers in Context by Kristi Anne McKenzie
8. The Marshall Plan: Altruism or Pragmatism?
by Sam Kimerling
9. Little Rock Nine: Evaluating Historical Sources
by Christy Thomas
10. First Ladies as a Political Tool by Emily Strocher
EXPLORING HISTORY: VOL II
xv
Engaging questions and historic
documents empower students to be
the historian in the classroom.

16. Cover image: Replica of old French globe
Date:1 January 1, 2013
Petar Milošević
Peter Pappas, editor
School of Education ~ University of Portland
His popular blog, Copy/Paste features downloads of his instructional
resources, projects and publications. Follow him at Twitter @edteck.
His other multi-touch eBooks are available at here. For an example of
one of his eBook design training workshops tap here.
CC BY-NC 3.0 Peter Pappas and Christy Thomas, 2014
The authors take copyright infringement seriously. If any copyright holder has
been inadvertently or unintentionally overlooked, the publisher will be pleased to
remove the said material from this book at the very first opportunity.
xviSource