Which event involved Eisenhower sending U.S. paratroopers to ensure that the Little Rock Nine could attend class?

• A. Montgomery Bus Boycott
• B. Freedom Riders
• C. Little Rock Nine
• D. Civil Rights Act of 1964

Answer: (C)

This event is about the federal government stepping in to enforce desegregation in public education. The Little Rock Nine were a group of African American students who faced violent opposition as they tried to enter Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. When local officials refused to protect their right to enroll, President Eisenhower federalized the Arkansas National Guard and sent in U.S. paratroopers to escort and protect the students as they attended classes. This use of military force to guarantee access to education shows the federal government enforcing the Supreme Court’s desegregation ruling in a time of state resistance, a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights Movement. The other options describe broader civil rights actions or legislation, not this specific intervention to protect the Little Rock Nine.