Eisenhower's Decision Dbq

Eisenhower’s Decision
In 1957, President Eisenhower had to make the most difficult decision of his presidency. The decision was whether he should send federal troops to the city of Little Rock, Arkansas to protect the students who were being integrated into the white Central High School. In the end, Eisenhower sent the 101st Airborne Division to escort the children safely into school. Many people debated whether this was the correct decision; it was. As President of the United States, Eisenhower’s job was to carry out the orders of the federal government and to make sure that every citizen had the access to their constitutional rights; after taking these thoughts into consideration, he decided to send federal troops to Little Rock, Arkansas.
The federal government passed a law which said that the United States public schools would start to be integrated. In Little Rock,

Arkansas nine children volunteered to be the first black students to be sent to a previously all white school.

When the students arrived at Central High School, they met the National Guard, which was sent by Governor Faubus, to keep the students from entering the school. The governor was in fact breaking the law, as he wouldn’t let the students in the school, even though it was a federal order. As President of the United States, Eisenhower’s job was to make sure that the laws be executed fair and truthfully (Document A). President Eisenhower was only doing the job in which the people gave to him. As part of the Executive Branch, the president needed to make sure that the laws are carried out correctly, and in Little Rock Arkansas they were not. When he noticed that Governor Faubus was working around the law, he took the necessary route and sent federal

troops to carry out the law. The governor wasn’t the only person who was disobeying the law. Many citizens of Little Rock, Arkansas also gathered and blocked the entrance of Central High School. The president also made many attempts to peacefully get the crowd to leave. In Proclamation 3204, President Eisenhower asks the crowd to “disperse” because it is an objection of justice (Document F). President Eisenhower did not want to use his presidential power to calm the scene in Arkansas. He gave the governor and the people of Little Rock many opportunities to allow the students to attend school, but these people kept disobeying the law. After multiple warnings, the president did everything necessary and sent the federal troops to carry out the law.
President Eisenhower had to also take the children’s safety into consideration when making this important decision. The main turning point in his decision was when Mayor Mann, the mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas, sent a telegram to the president describing the scene. Mayor Mann sent two telegrams; the second one was the one that swayed the president. In the second telegram, Mayor Mann stated that the mob was ready to act violently and that the student’s safety was being reprimanded (Document G). The president understood the tone of the mayor’s message and he realized that the danger was eminent. The president also knew that if any of these children were hurt, then the consequences would fall back onto the government, because the federal government was the one who made the law to integrate these students. After taking these thoughts into consideration, President Eisenhower made his decision. After Eisenhower sent the troops, the students were safely able to attend school. Safety was the president’s main priority and the amount of troops that were sent made their safety possible (Document I). A picture shows the students being escorted into the school by the 101st Airborne Division. The soldiers were heavily armed and remained with the students. The soldiers were the correct way for President Eisenhower to correctly protect the students.
President Dwight D. Eisenhower also had to think about how our country was formed as a whole. The constitution says that the powers not strictly given to the federal government are then given to the state governments and the people (Document B). The constitution gives every citizen the right to freedom and equality. President Eisenhower knew that the black citizens were not being given their equality even though the states considered it “separate but equal.” He knew that there was nothing equal about being separated. Once the reforms were made and the black race was still being detained, the president realized that the state government was making laws to counter the federal government’s laws (Document C). Once the president heard the news of the state government preventing the students from entering the school, he had no other choice but to take action. It was his duty to make sure that the constitution was being carried out in a fair manner. At this point in time, in Little Rock, the black students were being discriminated against and were being embarrassed, even though the federal law stated that they were to be integrated into Central High School. President Eisenhower had to correct the mistake by sending in military troops to ensure that the laws would then be carried out correctly.
Looking back on the event, the student’s safety and dignity were being jeopardized due to the large mob that had gathered at the school. The federal law that caused the black students to be integrated was being cut short by the state government. The president needed to protect the reputation of the country and the brave students who were willing to take on the danger. At the end of the day, President Dwight D. Eisenhower made the appropriate decision by sending the 101st Airborne Division to Little Rock, Arkansas to carry out the law.