The Little Rock Nine was a group of nine high school students. They were the first to attend an all white high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. Although segregation was illegal at the time, many racist school systems employed scare tactics to prevent African American students from attending their schools. Central High School in Little Rock was one of those schools. The first day the students attended, the governor of Arkansas ordered the state’s National Guard to block the Little Rock Nine from entering. President Eisenhower retaliated by sending federal troops to protect the students. They received death threats, and were at the receiving end of a plethora of degrading deeds. They endured being spit on, being called names, among many other acts. However, even while having to experience such volatile conditions, most of the nine students bravely stayed in the Central High School until graduation. They did not give up. They challenged a racist system, and they beat it.