Little Rock Girl 1957: Chapters 1–2

by Shelley Marie Tougas
Journalist Shelley Tougas considers the fight to integrate Little Rock Central High School through the lens of a single photograph taken on September 4, 1957.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. jeer
    laugh at with contempt and derision
    Television equipment recorded their jeering: “Two, four, six, eight—we don’t want to integrate!”
  2. contorted
    twisted, especially as in pain or struggle
    Photographer Will Counts said when he “saw Hazel Bryan’s contorted face in the camera’s viewfinder, I knew that I had released the shutter at an important moment.”
  3. hostile
    characterized by enmity or ill will
    The ministers also would serve to remind the hostile crowd of the importance of tolerance.
  4. tolerance
    willingness to respect the beliefs or practices of others
    The ministers also would serve to remind the hostile crowd of the importance of tolerance.
  5. segregationist
    someone who believes the races should be kept apart
    Pressure from segregationists made them lose advertising and forced them to close their newspaper, the Arkansas State Press, in 1959.
  6. prompt
    serve as the inciting cause of
    The arrest prompted a black boycott, which forced city leaders to integrate buses.
  7. progressive
    favoring or promoting modern or innovative ideas
    Known as a progressive small city, Little Rock didn’t seem an obvious battleground in the conflict over equal access to public schools.
  8. desegregate
    open to members of all races and ethnic groups
    And Little Rock’s buses and libraries had been desegregated without conflict.
  9. manifesto
    a public declaration of intentions
    In a written statement, titled the Southern Manifesto, they said they had the “gravest concern for the explosive and dangerous condition created by this decision....”
  10. grave
    causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm
    In a written statement, titled the Southern Manifesto, they said they had the “gravest concern for the explosive and dangerous condition created by this decision....”
  11. pulpit
    a platform raised to give prominence to the person on it
    Others stood at the pulpit in churches and used religion to make their case.
  12. counsel
    a lawyer who pleads cases in court
    He was chief counsel for the NAACP's Legal Defense and Educational Fund.
  13. appeal
    a legal proceeding to review a lower court decision
    In 1961 President John F. Kennedy appointed Marshall to serve on a federal appeals court.
  14. blunt
    characterized by directness in manner or speech
    Marshall became a larger-than-life figure, speaking bluntly about legal issues, race, and politics.
  15. hysteria
    state of violent mental agitation
    Daisy Bates, the African-American leader who advised the Little Rock Nine and their families, wrote later that “hysteria in all of its madness enveloped the city. Racial feelings were at a fever pitch.”
  16. bayonet
    a knife fixed to the end of a rifle and used as a weapon
    Members of the 101st Airborne Division forced segregationist protesters away from Central High School at bayonet point.
  17. paratrooper
    a soldier who is trained to jump from airplanes
    With all the paratroopers and the National Guard soldiers, Little Rock resembled a war zone.
  18. bigot
    a prejudiced person who is intolerant of differing opinions
    Some of Central High’s white students wanted to show the world they were not bigots.
  19. outlook
    an attitude that determines how you respond to situations
    Through an open mind, broad outlook, wise thinking, and a careful choice you can prove that America’s youth has not ‘gone to the dogs,’ that their moral, spiritual, and educational standards are not being lowered.
  20. go to the dogs
    become ruined
    Through an open mind, broad outlook, wise thinking, and a careful choice you can prove that America’s youth has not ‘gone to the dogs,’ that their moral, spiritual, and educational standards are not being lowered.
  21. thriving
    very lively and profitable
    This is the opportunity for you as citizens of Arkansas and students of Little Rock Central High to show the world that Arkansas is a progressive thriving state of wide-awake alert people.
  22. scald
    burn with a hot liquid or steam
    In gym class the bullies scalded the Little Rock Nine in the locker room showers.
  23. moderate
    marked by avoidance of extravagance or extremes
    The school board, which had been open to gradual desegregation, lost some of its moderate members in elections.
  24. referendum
    a legislative act referred for approval to a popular vote
    Then he called for a referendum.
  25. underdog
    one who is at a disadvantage and expected to lose
    Faubus praised Jackson, saying that "he speaks out for the underdogs of the nation."
Created on Tue Aug 18 17:00:49 EDT 2020 (updated Wed Aug 19 08:52:27 EDT 2020)

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