Showdown in Little Rock

1. PART A: Which of the following best identifies a central idea of the text?

• A. President Eisenhower used the Little Rock crisis as an excuse to display the federal government’s power over states.

• B. Segregationists made solid arguments against integration in their protests that prompted many Americans to protest integration.

• C. The public crisis in Little Rock made many Americans determined to have the federal government enforce segregation.

• D. The Little Rock Nine helped break racial barriers in American education despite great opposition.

2.PART B: Which phrase from the text best supports the answer to Part A?

• A. “When the students tried to enter again on September 24, they were taken into the school through a back door. Word of this spread throughout the community, and a thousand irate citizens stormed the school grounds.” (Paragraph 3)

• B. “The police desperately tried to keep the angry crowd under control as concerned onlookers whisked the students to safety. The nation watched all of this on television. President Eisenhower was compelled to act.” (Paragraphs 4-5)

• C. “The rest of the country seemed to side with the black students, and the Arkansas state government was defying a federal decree. The situation hearkened back to the dangerous federal-state conflicts of the 19th century that followed the end of the Civil War.” (Paragraph 5)

• D. “The following year, Little Rock School District officials under the command of Faubus closed the schools to prevent integration. But in 1959, the schools were open again. Both black and white children were in attendance.” (Paragraph 7)

3.PART A: Which statement best describes the relationship between the Arkansas state government and the federal government in the text?

• A. Arkansas’ governor resisted federal laws on integration because of his strong belief in state’s rights regarding integration.

• B. Arkansas’ governor defied federal laws on integration because of local segregationists’ deeply held beliefs on race.

• C. Eisenhower’s delayed response in the Little Rock crisis was caused by his fear of violent protests protected by the Arkansas government.

• D. Eisenhower was quick to respond in Little Rock because he wanted to set an example with the Arkansas government on how states shouldn’t ignore federal law.

4.PART B: Which quote from the text best supports your answer to Part A?

• A. “Under the pretext of maintaining order but in support of the segregationists, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus mobilized the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the Little Rock Nine from entering the school.” (Paragraph 3)

• B. “The situation hearkened back to the dangerous federal-state conflicts of the 19th century that followed the end of the Civil War.” (Paragraph 5)

• C. “He feared that the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision could lead to an impasse between the federal government and the states.” (Paragraph 5)

• D. “Eisenhower ordered the troops of the 101st Airborne Division into Little Rock, marking the first time United States troops were dispatched to the South since Reconstruction.” (Paragraph 6)