Daisy Bates House

Introduction

Text-to-speech Audio

Home to Civil Rights activist Daisy Bates (1914-1999), the Daisy Bates House is a National Historical Landmark for its role in the Civil Rights Movement and the Little Rock Central High School desegregation crisis of 1957-1958. Along with her husband, Daisy Bates assisted in the efforts for desegregation, opening her home to be a safe haven for the nine students involved. The Central High School desegregation crisis was “the first time a President used federal powers to uphold and implement a federal court decision regarding school desegregation” (“Daisy Bates House”). The house became the central headquarters, pick up, and drop off locations for the Little Rock Nine, the nine African American students whose goal was to desegregate the school, which lead to the home becoming a frequent target for damage and violence from supporters of segrigation. However, the strength of Bates and the Little Rock Nine sent a message to South: desegrigtaion was happening and Jim Crow laws were coming to an end and no longer would be tolerated.

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Backstory and Context

Text-to-speech Audio

Daisy Bates was president of the Arkansas state conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) branches and was co-editor of the Arkansas State Press, in addition to serving as a mentor to the Little Rock Nine, who ultimately defeated segregated at Little Rock Central High School. As a symbol for the legal fight to desegregate the public school system, Bates played a significant role in both the Civil Rights Movement and the Little Rock Central High School desegregation crisis.

Sources

http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/ar2.htm