Posted on 09/25/2007 8:14:18 AM PDT by Nextrush
A thousand soldiers ringed the Little Rock Central High School on Wednesday morning September 25, 1957.
White students who wanted to go to class went in, but many stayed away.
Major General Edwin Walker, commander of the troops, addressed students in the auditorium shortly after school began.
General Walker said: "Those who interfere.....with the proper administration of the school will be removed by the soldiers...."
An Army staff car (a station wagon with U.S. Army markings on its sides) came to the home of NAACP president Daisy Bates to take the nine students to school.
They arrived at 9:22 AM. There was a bomb threat at the school at around 11AM.
Outside the school troops cleared a perimeter around the school with bayonets fixed.
They marched steadily for blocks around the school pushing back anyone standing around the school. Some were pushed back onto front porches by the soldiers.
One person was bayoneted in the arm and another clubbed by a soldier.
Eight arrests were made.
Inside the school things were calm and white students were reported to have been friendly towards the newcomers.
One-third of the Little Rock Central High School's two thousand students did not attend.
A look at the aftermath in Little Rock next week.
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