Education affects every part of human beings’ lives. For the majority of people education level is the factor which decides about the level of income, place in the class system, and even health care. Without the education on an average level from the very beginning, the person immediately is exposed to a severe disadvantage in comparison with those who receive it.
During the process of gathering the materials for this thesis, the author of this thesis has found the most important obstacles in the history of American equal education. Sadly, the problems of education inequality are deeply rooted throughout American history. In the South segregation was justified in the Supreme Court in the Plessy vs Ferguson Case from 1896 which mandated that schools should to be segregated into black and white.
Basically, in the North there were no segregation laws, but school administrators consciously arranged the districts with the purpose of segregation. Segregation caused inferior education for Blacks because the districts in which they were taught obtained definitely less money. This meant that the schools could not afford quality teachers or sufficient facilities.
The American nation had to wait until 1954 when the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional, and finally reversed the position it held since 1896. By 1980 the federal courts largely succeeded in eliminating the system of legalized segregation in southern schools.
The federal government also investigated many northern cities and ordered that the school districts need to be re-arranged so that they can include minorities. Interestingly, the government also, in some cases, ruled the busing of minorities to other districts in an attempt to make education equal between districts. In order to present what factors led to such a situation in American schools, the author decided to divide the paper in three parts – each discussing different period of inequalities found in educational history.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Chapter One
- Education of Black until the Revolution
- The Education of Negroes in Colonial Beginnings
- Temporary Change in the Education Privileges for Negroes
- The Return to 'Normalcy'
- The Situation of African Americans' Education after the Civil War
- Chapter Two
- Racial inequality in American Public education until 1954
- The Importance of Thomas Jefferson and Horace Mann for Education
- The Common School Movement
- 'Education as the Hope for Betterment' and an Actual Situation
- W.E.B. DuBois vs. Booker T. Washington - the Educational Debate
- Further Changes in Education of African Americans between XIX-th and XX-th Century
- Brown vs. Board of Education
- Chapter Three
- The Aftermath of Brown v. Board - Educational Equality amidst the Social Upheavals between 1954 and 1970's
- The Little Rock Nine
- The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and its Impact on Education
- The Equality of Educational Opportunity Research
- The Elementary and Secondary School Act
- The Most Crucial U.S. Supreme Court Decisions on Education Desegregation
- Goss v. Board of Education
- Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County
- Green v. County School Board of New Kent County
- Busing and Resulting White Flight
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This thesis aims to explore the historical evolution of educational inequality for Black Americans, focusing on the period from colonial times to the 1970s. It seeks to understand the complex interplay of social, political, and legal factors that shaped the unequal access to education experienced by African Americans.
- The legacy of slavery and its impact on the development of educational opportunities for Black Americans.
- The evolution of segregationist policies and their consequences for the quality of education provided to Black communities.
- The role of landmark court cases, such as Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education, in shaping educational policies.
- The impact of federal legislation, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Elementary and Secondary School Act, on desegregation efforts.
- The persistence of educational inequality despite legal advancements and the ongoing struggle for equitable access to quality education.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
Chapter One examines the early stages of Black education in America, exploring the challenges and limited opportunities faced by African Americans during the colonial period and the aftermath of the American Revolution. It delves into the role of morality and behavior in shaping educational practices for enslaved people, highlighting the limited access to formal education and the importance of informal learning within slave communities.
Chapter Two delves into the development of racial inequality in American public education, focusing on the period leading up to the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling in 1954. It examines the role of figures like Thomas Jefferson and Horace Mann in shaping educational policy, the emergence of the common school movement, and the contrasting approaches to Black education advocated by W.E.B. DuBois and Booker T. Washington. The chapter culminates with an analysis of the significance of Brown v. Board of Education in challenging the legal framework of segregation.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This thesis examines the history of educational inequality for Black Americans, focusing on key themes such as slavery, segregation, desegregation, access to education, legal challenges, and federal policies. It explores landmark court cases like Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education, and significant legislation such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Elementary and Secondary School Act. The study sheds light on the enduring struggle for equal educational opportunities and its impact on the lives of African Americans.
- Quote paper
- Marta Zapała-Kraj (Author), 2018, Short Introduction to Racial Inequalities in American Education, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/471002
