Legal Papers, 1954-1960
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Select files to request
Scope and Content Note
Papers pertaining to Virgil T. Blossom's career as Superintendent of the Little Rock Public Schools, 1953-1958, especially his role in the desegregation crisis in 1957-58.
The papers pertain to the Central High crisis. Blossom became a central figure in the controversy, and he was removed as superintendent in November 1958. He wrote an account of the crisis, published as a series of articles, "The Untold Story of Little Rock," in Saturday Evening Post (May 23 - June 27, 1959) and then as a book, It Has Happened Here. After a short stay in New York, Blossom went to San Antonio, Texas, to continue his career in education.
Dates
- 1954-1960
Conditions Governing Access
Restriction. Some legal papers pertain to suspensions or expulsions of pupils from Central High for racial incidents. Between September 1957 and Feb 1958, 184 pupils were suspended. Many of these students are well known because of radio broadcasts or newspaper reports. The records, however, are restricted according to the student records policy of the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, in compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (U. S. Code). Researchers desiring access to the material should consult with the Head of Special Collections.
Arrangement
Apparently Blossom had begun to sort some of the papers in the series, perhaps in preparing to write the articles and book he published on the Little Rock crisis, and for a visual presentation on the subject (see Series 5). His arrangement of these materials stands at the beginning of Series 2 as General Files on Integration.
Other general legal files were arranged by alphabetically by subject, and more specific files were divided according to legal jurisdiction: state government, District Court, Chancery Court, Court of Appeals, and U.S. Supreme Court.
Physical Description
Boxes 3-5
Creator
- From the Collection: Blossom, Virgil T. (Person)
Repository Details
Part of the Special Collections Department Repository
University of Arkansas Libraries
365 N. McIlroy Avenue
Fayetteville AR 72701 United States
(479) 575-8444
specoll@uark.edu