Letter to President Dwight D. Eisenhower from Twelve Year Old Marilyn Albertson In Favor of School Integration
10/1957
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In this letter from Marilyn Albertson to President Eisenhower, the twelve year old shares her opinion on the recent actions by the President during the Little Rock Crisis.
On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education that segregated schools are "inherently unequal." In September 1957, as a result of that ruling, nine African-American students enrolled at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The ensuing struggle between segregationists and integrationists, the State of Arkansas and the federal government, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, has become known in modern American history as the "Little Rock Crisis."
The crisis gained world-wide attention. When Governor Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to surround Central High School to keep the nine students from entering the school, President Eisenhower ordered the 101st Airborne Division into Little Rock to insure the safety of the "Little Rock Nine" and that the rulings of the Supreme Court were upheld.
On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown vs. Topeka Board of Education that segregated schools are "inherently unequal." In September 1957, as a result of that ruling, nine African-American students enrolled at Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. The ensuing struggle between segregationists and integrationists, the State of Arkansas and the federal government, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, has become known in modern American history as the "Little Rock Crisis."
The crisis gained world-wide attention. When Governor Faubus ordered the Arkansas National Guard to surround Central High School to keep the nine students from entering the school, President Eisenhower ordered the 101st Airborne Division into Little Rock to insure the safety of the "Little Rock Nine" and that the rulings of the Supreme Court were upheld.
Transcript
Dear President Eisenhower,I am a twelve year old girl in the 6th grade of Saint Michael's Schools. I hear about you receiving letters saying you're doing wrong by mixing white and negro children in Little Rock, Arkansas school. I am hoping you will have time to read my letter I am right with you on the subject. I think the people in Little Rock should be ashamed of themselves. If they say they better than the negros, it is the same as saying, "I don't believe in God." I have a friend who is a negro and to me he is a more loyal friend than my own kind. These people who say you are wrong ought to look back to the Decration of Independence, and the Constitution of the United States. If they even read the papers they will notice that most of the sins in the world are being committed by their own kind. I know I am to young to help you fight, but there is one thing I can do, and that is praying and making sacrifices. I am doing both. Sister Mary Daniel of the 6th grade gave me the idea to write to you and tell you how I fell about this I hope I have not spoken out of order. I will say as many prayers as I can, and so will the whole 6th grade children.
We are all directly behind you.
Your Young Citizen,
Marilyn Albertson
(P.S. If you receive my letter I would appreciate it if you could possible answer it.)
This primary source comes from the Collection DDE-WHCF: White House Central Files (Eisenhower Administration).
National Archives Identifier: 6092855
Full Citation: Letter to President Dwight D. Eisenhower from Twelve Year Old Marilyn Albertson In Favor of School Integration; 10/1957; Bulk Mail Files, 1953–1961; Collection DDE-WHCF: White House Central Files (Eisenhower Administration); Dwight D. Eisenhower Library, Abilene, KS. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/letter-to-president-eisenhower-from-marilyn-albertson-favor-school-integration, April 25, 2025]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.
