May 13, 1958
the president
the white house
washington, d. c.
my dear mr. president:
i was sitting in the audience at the summit meeting of negro [african-american] leaders
yesterday when you said we must have patience. on hearing you say this, i felt like
standing up and saying, “oh no! not again.” …
17 million negroes cannot do as you suggest and wait for the hearts of men to change. we
want to enjoy now the rights that we feel we are entitled to as americans. this we cannot
do unless we pursue aggressively goals which all other americans achieved over 150 years
ago.
as the chief executive of our nation, i respectfully suggest that you unwittingly crush the
spirit of freedom in negroes by constantly urging forbearance [delay] and give hope to those
pro-segregation leaders like governor [orval] faubus who would take from us even those
freedoms we now enjoy. your own experience with governor faubus is proof enough that
forbearance and not eventual integration is the goal the pro-segregation leaders seek.…
respectfully yours,
jackie robinson
source: national archives & records administration
when jackie robinson mentions president dwight d. eisenhower’s experience with
governor faubus, he is referring to the action the president took in
(1) hiring minority workers to build the interstate highway system
(2) sending federal troops to central high school in little rock, arkansas
(3) supporting the montgomery bus boycott
(4) ordering that all military bases located in southern states be integrated