President Eisenhower’s National Address on the Little Rock Crisis (1957)

Date: September 24, 1957

Created By: James Hagerty

Original or Replica: Original

Era: Civil Rights, The Presidency

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: Kevin McCann Collection of Press and Radio Conferences and Press Releases, Box 20, September 1957; NAID #17366765

This document is the official text of President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s televised address to the American people, delivered from the White House on the evening of September 24, 1957, following his decision to issue Executive Order 10730 and deploy federal troops to enforce the integration of Little Rock Central High School. Released by the White House through Press Secretary James C. Hagerty, the address explains the constitutional and legal reasons behind one of the most significant actions of Eisenhower’s presidency.

In his remarks, President Eisenhower reviews the events that led to the crisis in Little Rock, emphasizing that the issue was not whether individuals agreed with school integration, but whether federal court decisions and the Constitution would be obeyed. He argues that local and state authorities had failed to enforce the law, making federal intervention necessary to preserve public order and protect the constitutional rights of American citizens. Eisenhower also stresses that the deployment of federal troops was intended solely to enforce the orders of the federal courts—not to administer local schools—and warns that allowing mob rule to prevail would threaten the rule of law and the nation’s constitutional system.

The President concludes by urging the citizens of Arkansas to cooperate with federal authorities, expressing confidence that the crisis can be resolved peacefully through respect for the law. He further argues that the events in Little Rock had damaged America’s international reputation during the Cold War and that restoring order was essential not only to protect constitutional government at home but also to demonstrate the nation’s commitment to freedom, justice, and human rights abroad. This address remains one of President Eisenhower’s most important public statements on civil rights and presidential responsibility.