President Eisenhower’s Letter to Congressman Oren Harris on the Little Rock Crisis (1957)

Date: September 30, 1957

Created By: Dwight D. Eisenhower

Original or Replica: Original

Era: The Presidency, Civil Rights

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: DDE’s Records as President, Official File, Box 615, OF 142-A-5-A (3); NAID #17366850

This letter was written by President Dwight D. Eisenhower to Congressman Oren Harris of Arkansas on September 30, 1957, just days after the President ordered federal troops to enforce the integration of Little Rock Central High School. Eisenhower wrote in response to a telegram from Harris expressing concern over the federal government’s intervention during the Little Rock Crisis.

In his response, President Eisenhower acknowledged the disappointment and frustration surrounding the use of federal troops but argued that the decision was necessary to uphold the Constitution and enforce the rulings of the federal courts. He emphasized his longstanding belief in the importance of state governments while maintaining that no state could use force or violence to obstruct federal court orders. Eisenhower warned that permitting such resistance would undermine the rule of law, threaten the constitutional balance between the states and the federal government, and weaken the Union itself.