Although The Little Rock Nine were treated horribly and went through hardships no students or human beings ever deserve to go through, they risked their lives fighting for equality not only for blacks but for people who were scared to make a change during the 1950-1960's. The decision they made to stand up against discrimination and for themselves not only has made them successful but gave other African Americans a chance to become something more than a slave. These nine extremely important individuals played a major role in contributing to the Civil Rights Movement, a "mass popular movement to secure for African Americans equal access to and opportunities for the basic privileges and rights of U.S citizenship." Segregation led to many hardships in African American history which included segregated schools. The Little Rock Nine became major providers in strengthening desegregation in schools and enforcing the new law on integrating during that time. Because of these brave and highly motivated individuals, people with different colored skin, hair, culture and religion can all receive the education they desire. If it wasn't for their contributions, life for young African Americans could have been excessively different.