1779- Jefferson proposes "A Bill for the More General Diffusion of Knowledge"
This was an educational plan proposed by Jefferson. He wanted equality in education for all people, meaning those of wealth and those not of wealth. This did not include African-Americans; however it was a step towards equality. He wanted this education to be funded by public taxes and believed that it should be free to all. The plan never passed, however, Jefferson’s views were a sign of the desire for equal education, and it would eventually grow into the practice of education for all races (Hunkins & Ornstein, 68).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people.
1785- The Northwest Ordinance
The passing of the Northwest Ordinance made sure that land was to be divided up for people to live on, but some land would be reserved for education. This law being passed showed that the United States was going to make sure that its people were educated. This is a step towards racial equality in education because there first needed to be a commitment towards education by the U.S. before equality in education could be fought for (Hunkins & Ornstein, 67).
Green- this is a movement towards making education a priority within the United States and this means that the U.S. wants its citizens educated.
Green- this is a movement towards making education a priority within the United States and this means that the U.S. wants its citizens educated.
1826- Horrace Mann & Common Schools
Common schools were created and organized under a school board for local schools. Horrace Mann believed that these Common Schools would create a national identity, they would promote industry, and they would also create equality because all could attend (Hunkins & Ornstein, 74).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people.
1836- McGuffy Readers Introduced
The McGuffy readers were the first textbooks that were used on a massive scale and they worked. They focused on ideas of nationality, patriotism, hard work, virtuous living, etc. This was a step towards equality among races because it was a move towards educating the masses (Hunkins & Ornstein, 70).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people.
1849- Roberts V. The City of Boston
Benjamin Roberts, an African-American father, tried to enroll his daughter in a segregated school. He was fighting the practice of segregated schools being able to receive tax money from African-Americans even though African-Americans were not allowed to attend. His daughter was denied entrance into the school. Roberts sued the Boston School District in an effort to stop this from happening and to further the efforts towards desegregation. Roberts was represented by Charles Sumner, a famous activist. The case made it all the way to the Massachusetts Supreme Court and lost because the Supreme Court ruled that African-Americans had access to a school of their own. However, in 1855 the Massachusetts government passed a law that desegregated its schools (Brown Foundation).
Red- the original decision for this court case is a movement away from democratic teaching in school, and it goes against equality in education.
Red- the original decision for this court case is a movement away from democratic teaching in school, and it goes against equality in education.
1865- March 3- Creation of the Freedmen's Bureau
This government organization was created to help ex-slaves, or freedmen, in their journey from slave life to living as freed people. The Freedmen's Bureau played a large role in providing education to African-Americans who were recently released from slavery after the passing of the 13th Amendment. The Freedmen's Bureau was responsible for creating close to 1,600 day schools in the South for freedmen to attend so that they could learn to read, write, and perform other various tasks (Economic History Association).
Green- this is a movement towards racial equality and a desire to make sure that freedmen have access to education.
Green- this is a movement towards racial equality and a desire to make sure that freedmen have access to education.
1865- December- Ratification of the 13th Amendment
The ending of the Civil War brought about the ratification of the 13th Amendment. The 13th Amendment freed all those that were living lives in slavery. When this was instituted, freedmen, or former slaves, were now “free” to live a life that was not tied to their masters. This was the beginning of freedmen having the legal right to an education if they chose to do so (Civil War Trust).
Green- this is a movement equality in the United States which will eventually lead to freedom and the righ to education.
Green- this is a movement equality in the United States which will eventually lead to freedom and the righ to education.
1878-1900- William Harris' Reform
William Harris, the U.S. Commissioner on Education, believed that education should focus on teaching democratic principles. He believed public schooling should focus on morality and what it means to be a citizen. This was an education system that was moving towards a more equal classroom. This was a step towards racial equality because there had to be equality taught in the classroom before people began to realize that inequality based on race is immoral (Hunkins & Ornstein, 84).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic.
1896- Plessy v. Ferguson
This court case developed due to the arrest of a very light skinned African-American man. Homer Plessy was arrested for sitting in a white train car. This case was taken to the Supreme Court on the grounds of the 14th amendment and the belief that separate is not equal, and therefore forcing "colored" people have separate accommodations because of their race was not allowing African-Americans to be equal to those around them. The Supreme Court decided that separate is, in fact, equal. This was a ruling that forced African-American children to go to separate schools that were not at all equal in comparison to white schools. It would not be until 1954 that this practice would be overturned in the case Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (Wormser, R.).
Red- the original decision for this court case is a movement away from democracy, and it is creating a greater seperation in racial equality.
Red- the original decision for this court case is a movement away from democracy, and it is creating a greater seperation in racial equality.
1916- Lewis Terman and the IQ Test
Lewis Terman was a psychologist during this time period. He studied a French version of the IQ test and introduces it to the public education system in the United States. Terman introduced this idea in order to track students into certain educational programs. For African-Americans, Native-Americans, and Mexican-Americans this proved to be a time where many racial prejudices were developed. The IQ test was supposedly proving that people from the mentioned races were not as smart as the white race and never would be. This was a turn for the worse in the fight for racial equality in education. This would last for many years to come (NNDB).
Red- the original decision to use the IQ test is a movement away from democracy because it is forcing people into educational tracks that they may not want to be a part of, and it is creating racial inequality based on stereotypes.
Red- the original decision to use the IQ test is a movement away from democracy because it is forcing people into educational tracks that they may not want to be a part of, and it is creating racial inequality based on stereotypes.
1916- Democracy and Education by John Dewey
John Dewey wrote the book Democracy and Education in order to explain his views on education. He believed that if students are to learn democracy then there is going to need to be equality within education. The idea that students will learn to be democratic in schools that were not promoting equality was unrealistic, and Dewey explained this in his book. This was a major influence on democracy/equality in education (CSU Pomona).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
1918- Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education
The Cardinal Principals of Secondary Education was published by the NEA’s Commission on the Reorganization of Secondary Education. This document really pushed towards equality within education. The idea being explained was that all needed to be educated, the whole child needed to be the focus, there needed to be options in education, etc. This was a major step away from rote education that was dominating the scene, but this change seemed to come at the necessary time (Hunkins & Ornstein, 88-89).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
1954- May 17- Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas
Chief Justice Earl Warren brought forth the agreement of the Supreme Court that “separate is not equal.” This meant that schools must begin to integrate. This was the result of the famous court case entitled Oliver Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas in which a student was denied access to a school that was close to her home, and this girl was clearly not treated as equal(Mondale & Patton).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting equality.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting equality.
1964- January 8- Johnson's War on Poverty
President Johnson delivered his State of the Union Address that included his plan for his “War on Poverty.” This war on poverty was a fight to give every person in the United States an opportunity to break the cycle of poverty that was found in so many lives. Many minorities during this time were struggling to find equal opportunity within the educational system. President Lyndon Johnson was a former teacher and he understood the realities of this struggle. Johnson decided to make racial equality in education one of his main priorities (Mondale & Patton).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
1964- Civil Rights Act of 1964
President Johnson signed an act that said the federal government would not fund any program that was discriminating based upon race. This placed public schools in a bind. If public schools were fighting against the integration process they knew that they would not receive federal funding. The public education system in the South was forced to integrate if they ever wanted to receive any money from the federal government. Eight years later 91% of the African-American student population in the South was attending integrated public schools (Mondale & Patton).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
1965- Elementary and Secondary Education Act
he Elementary and Secondary Education Act provided 4 billion dollars to aid students of the public education system. When the Civil Rights Act of 1964 provided the possibility to cut federal funding if schools were resisting integration the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 provided an opportunity for more federal funding if schools followed suit with the integration mandates of Brown V. Board of Education. This was an incentive to integrate schools, and President Johnson understood that you could not give the South an option, but rather you must force them to comply (Mondale & Patton).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
1969- Crystal City Education Strikes
Chicanos went on strike against public education- Jose Angel Gutierrez helped students to organize and demand equal education and treatment for Chicanos/Latin-Americans in Crystal City, Texas. 500 students did not go to school in a form of protest and eventually multiple Crystal City schools joined the strike. The students eventually contacted the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice because the school board would not listen to the demands of the students. The Chicano population in Crystal City eventually became involved in the situation and began to vote in new school board members in order to force the changes that Chicano students were rightfully demanding. Jose eventually became the head of the Crystal City School Board. This caused there to be great changes made to leadership of the Crystal City School District. Many bilingual teaches were hired and Spanish became a language spoken by many without consequence. This pushed the educational system to begin to serve the Chicano population for the first time (Mondale & Patton).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality
1971- Intercity Busing- Swann v. Mecklenburg Board of Education
Segregation in the South was still an institutionalized practice that was not forced via law, but rather by location. Children were going to schools that were close to their homes or that they were most comfortable with. The result of this was that schools continued to stay segregated. In 1971 the Supreme Court decided that it was constitutional for schools to bus students to different schools in order to get rid of this institutionalized segregation. Children would be bused to different schools all over town in order to ensure racial equality within those schools. (Mondale & Patton).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
1974- Milliken v. Bradley
This court decision was based upon the busing of students between districts. This court cased overturned the decision made three years prior to bus students from differing districts within Michigan to integrate students. It seemed to cause many problems for districts and so it was overturned. Now outlying districts were exempt from having to bus students into Detroit. This was not good for the equality of race in education because it was allowing segregation to continue (Shay, A).
Red- the decision to stop inter-district busing is allowing for schools to continue to be segregated based on race and this is a movement in the opposite direction.
Red- the decision to stop inter-district busing is allowing for schools to continue to be segregated based on race and this is a movement in the opposite direction.
1974- Lau V. Nichols/Equal Education Opportunity Act of 1974
Lawyers sued the San Francisco School District because Chinese-American elementary students were being forced to go to classes that were taught only in English, and many students only spoke Chinese. The San Francisco School District felt that they were treating everyone equally, but the Supreme Court decided that if students are different then they needed to be treated in a way that works best for that student. What this meant is that the Chinese students were being discriminated against because the classroom was not teaching these students in a way that was beneficial to them. This caused the federal government to create new teaching material in a multitude of languages and the federal government also gave $68 million for bilingual learning programs in public education (Mondale & Patton).
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.
Green- this is a movement towards educating all people in a way that is democratic and it is promoting this type of equality.