Bloody photos show the day 300 troops were sent to guard 9 black school children

Abby Jackson

Sep 25, 2015, 20:32 IST

A U.S. Army paratrooper uses the butt of his rifle to nudge along a man identified as C.E. Blake, who was hit in the head when he tried to take a weapon from a trooper near Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., Sept. 25, 1957, where integration is being enforced by the Army. (AP Photo)

C.E. Blake was hit in the head when he tried to steal a weapon from a trooper.

The road to desegregation of America's school system was often paved in blood, as communities grappled with laws that mandated African-Americans be allowed to attend formerly "white-only" schools.

On September 25, 1957, The United States Army deployed 300 troops to guard nine black children who attempted to enter the racially segregated Little Rock Central High School.

The students and troops were met by an unruly crowd who tried to physically block them from entering the school.

These photos depict the dramatic confrontation between the crowd and the students.