Today, Little Rock Central High School is a scene much like what you would see around Arkansas and the United States, children attending school. However, when Little Rock Central was built in 1927, the nation’s biggest school spanning two city blocks, the most expensive to complete at $1.5 million, and designed in a gorgeous art deco and gothic architectural style, no black students were allowed inside.
In 1954 the Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Ed declared the segregation of public schools was unconstitutional, and Little Rock, Arkansas would be the first site of integration. The bravery of nine teenage students on September 4, 1957 paved the way for desegregation across the country amidst severe adversity.
On the first day of school the students were denied entrance, defying the Supreme Court ruling. The world was watching the events unfold on television, the media was a key tool now more than ever before – reporters gathered across the street at the gas station preserved from the time period.
President Eisenhower had the students escorted by police and protected by 1,200 of the U.S. Army’s Airborne Division against a mob of 1,000 angry protestors.
The Little Rock Nine and their families demonstrated courage on a daily basis. Resistance to segregation was so strong, parents of the children lost their jobs, there were death threats, and the children were physically assaulted. 
Melba Patillo had acid thrown in her face. Gloria Ray was pushed down a flight of stairs. They could not fight back. Their maturity exceeded that of their age, ranging from 15-17 years old, strong enough to stand up to a problem that was larger than they could have imagined.
These students were heroes of the Civil Rights Movement and you can learn their story through a visit to the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site. 
There is a comprehensive visitors center and a free guided tour with a park ranger which walks in the school, reservations are recommended.