Arkansas General Assembly 1958

Starting in 1957, three successive Arkansas General Assemblies passed an ever-increasing and ever-more drastic set of pro-segregation measures. In 1958, Act 4 empowered the governor to shut down any integrated school district. Several other acts provided contingency measures for this. Act 10 ordered all people signing teaching contracts to disclose all groups that they were members of to their employers, with the aim of intimidating members of the NAACP.  Act 11 prevented all organizations from filing lawsuits that affected public education. A number of other measures passed that were all aimed at preventing the NAACP from practicing law in the state. Act 17 created punishments for “disturbing the peace in a public place” to deter student sit-ins. The courts subsequently ruled much of the legislation unconstitutional, even though the state fought for it at great expense to taxpayers.