Both the citizens and the local
officials were united in opposing federal authority. Everyone
watched to see what President Eisenhower would do in the face of
this challenge. On the one hand, Eisenhower and the Republicans
had condemned the increasing centralization of power in the
federal government. On the other hand, Eisenhower had been a
general who had been accustomed to having his subordinates carry
out his orders. Eisenhower, the general, moved with decisiveness
and sent troops into Little Rock to enforce the law. Although
Eisenhower himself had said that men's hearts could not be
changed by legislation, he diligently fulfilled his functions as
the head of the Executive Branch of the government. Surprisingly
enough, it was also under his administration that Congress
passed the first Civil Rights Act since 1875. Although the bill
was rather weak, it was an admission that the Federal government
had an obligation to guarantee civil rights to individual
citizens and to act on their behalf when state and local
governments did not. This was a reversal of the traditional
"hands off" position.
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