Civil rights movement

Historical eventSeptember 41957

Civil rights movement

American Civil Rights Movement: Little Rock Crisis: The governor of Arkansas calls out the National Guard to prevent African American students from enrolling in Little Rock Central High School, resulting in the lawsuit Cooper v. Aaron the following year.

In context

When
Wednesday, September 4 195769 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1950s
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1957.

What happened

American Civil Rights Movement: Little Rock Crisis: The governor of Arkansas calls out the National Guard to prevent African American students from enrolling in Little Rock Central High School, resulting in the lawsuit Cooper v. Aaron the following year.

September 4 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1957Civil rights movement
  2. 19951995 Okinawa rape incident
  3. 1995Camp Hansen
  4. 1998Google
  5. 2001Tokyo DisneySea
  6. 2002Oakland Athletics
  7. 2007Al-Qaeda
  8. 20102010 Canterbury earthquake
  9. 2020Pope Benedict XVI
  10. 20222022 Saskatchewan stabbings
  11. 20242024 Apalachee High School shooting

Also in 1957

  • September 9Dwight D. EisenhowerU.S. president Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Civil Rights Act of 1957, the first civil rights bill since Reconstruction.
  • October 14Turia (river)After three days of heavy rain, the Turia overflowed and flooded the city of Valencia, Spain, causing at least 81 deaths.
  • October 3Superior Courts of CaliforniaThe California State Superior Court rules that the book Howl and Other Poems is not obscene.
  • May 1Vickers VC.1 VikingA Vickers VC.1 Viking crashes while attempting to return to Blackbushe Airport in Yateley, killing 34.
  • January 5United States CongressIn a speech given to the United States Congress, United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces the establishment of what will la…
  • January 1Lèse-majesté in ThailandThe revised Thai criminal code came into force, strengthening the law on lèse-majesté in Thailand to include insult and treating it as a…
  • November 8Pan Am Flight 7En route from San Francisco to Honolulu, Pan Am Flight 7 crashed into the Pacific Ocean due to unknown causes, killing all 44 people on b…
  • January 14Kripalu MaharajKripalu Maharaj is named fifth Jagadguru (world teacher) after giving seven days of speeches before 500 Hindu scholars.

Everything we record for 1957 →

Sources

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“Civil rights movement”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/civil-rights-movement-1957-september-4, accessed October 27, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did Civil rights movement happen?

September 4 1957 — 69 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

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