A Free Public School System After The American Revolution

Public education in America began in the early to mid-19th century with the simple goal of “uniting the American population by instilling common moral and political values” (Spring, 2012, p. 5). Our country was founded by men who designed the constitution so that it could be amended to accommodate changing political and social climates. They believed in the ideology of the American dream which “holds out a vision of both individual success and the collective good of all” (Hochschild & Scovronick, 2004, p. 1). It is with this same ideology that our public schools were

Even though the Declaration of Independence does not mention education, our founding fathers did value education. Illustrated by the ordinances they passed “in 1785 and 1787 that granted federal lands to states to create and support public school- an institution that the nation’s founders viewed as essential to democracy and national unification.” (Jennings, p3) In 1959, the admission of Alaska and Hawaii into the Union reconfirmed the Federal government’s support of education. Three distinct elements that impact education are; laws that have been passed, the removal of the church from public schools, and the role of federal government that has evolved and changed over the years. These three factors have transformed education over the

Public schools before the 1830s weren’t technically public because education was not open to the general public. At the time, the “public” schools were made up of a majority of white children, because their parents were wealthy enough to pay for their education. While some schools in both the North and the South allowed African Americans to attend, a lot of the African American families still could not afford to send their children. On top of not being able to afford school, in the South most schools did not believe in educating slaves. The monetary problem holding kids back from getting an equal opportunity to access education was what sparked the movement to reform the public schools.

An educated society has always been thought of as an essential need for the people of the Americas. The Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 were enacted in the colonies pre declaration of independence from England. These were the first ordinances or acts passed that stated responsibilities of the nation for an education system. Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution allowed Congress the power collect taxes to provide for the general welfare of the United States. It is under this "general welfare" clause that the federal government has assumed the power to start educational activity in its own right and to participate together with states, and people in educational activities.

Howell states that “educational development at the county level is significant to Texas history for several reasons.” One reason that he states, is that “it provides a measure of how important free public education was to the citizens of Texas counties by comparing how quickly they complied with various state school laws passed late in the 1850’s”

The American Revolution (1775-1783) was a war between England and the colonies which were settled earlier by the English. There were many factors and events that led to the American Revolution. The Revolution was mainly an economic rebellion that was fueled by taxation without representation following the French and Indian War. The English Parliament was more often than not considered cruel and unfair by the colonists. With conflicts over trade, taxes and government representation, the colonies were at a starting line of a revolution that would later transform into the basis of the United States of America.

The current state of the Texas education policy is very complex and its roots can be traced all the way back to times were there was no equality in the public school system, we can even say it can be traced as far back to the state’s split from Mexico. This was a very problematic situation that began to be reformed heavily starting in 1954. The legislations that passed to resolve this problem have morphed the Texas Public education policy into what it is today.

The freedoms and opportunities enjoyed by the colonists after the American Revolution were not simply established as much as they were fought tooth and nail for. The colonists between the 15th and 18th century faced much turmoil in which they had to overcome in order to become the success they sought after. Many of these freedoms and opportunities came at a cost to other people and cultures as the colonists paved their way to a new society. To gain full benefits of their freedoms, the colonists would also have to explore new ideals to shape the way they run their lives in order to be true successes. These successions can be tied back to the first Native American treaties.

Our system of education is still based of a lot of colonial New England’s system of education. The first public schools of the new world began in New England with the passing of what is referred to as the Olde Deluder Satan Act which “specified that schools be started and publicly supported when town populations were large enough.” So basically they would build a school if the population of a particular are became large enough and the demand from the local citizenship was high enough. Whereas those in the Virginia area’s of the new world were either home schooled (often poorly) or immediately

The American education system has been transforming since the founding of the country in 1776. For most of the beginning of the country’s life, education was reserved for those who could afford to send their children to England to get a proper education. When education systems started to form in America, it was still a majority of white males from wealth that were the only students.

The role legislators and courts have played in the Texas Education System is sadly poor. Citizens have been concerned about the education of our young people for many years, “failure to establish any public system of education, although possession of almost boundless resources,” Public education has gotten a myriad of policy changes, amendments, revisions, and laws altered to meet the needs of Texas students. How has the Texas education system replaced? Public education in the Texas has played a major role in shaping society. The schools and parents in low income areas have often assumed the position of social fears. This relationship of education to the views of Texas society is prevalent throughout the low income areas, thoughtful, and complex. One principle that Texas have had problems coping with, it is the concept of equality. Equality of opportunity means that no one should be denied equal access to education. Some of the most serious attempts to correct the inherit conflicts, have occurred in the schools. Judicial mandates are some of the notable efforts employed in recent years to equalize educational resources, practices, and opportunities. The part of individuals and agencies in the society are inadequate and incapable of effecting the kind of change that is so often articulated and desperately needed. A pro-active stance in defining, clarifying, and applying the concept of equality. The Constitution was very clear concerning equality. Our nation’s success as a

Given that the state was in the South, it was not surprising that the state instituted racial segregation. In the book, “Before Brown: Heman Marion Sweatt, Thurgood Marshall, and the Long Road to Justice” by Gary M. Lavergne, he discussed the entirety of the Sweatt v. Painter case. Lavergne says of Texas, “There were no provisions for what was called “Negro education” of any kind in the Constitution of 1836.” This would soon change after the Civil War. During Reconstruction, the state revised their constitution to include provisions concerning Black education. It was far from equal as the state only used African-Americans funds to support their education. More likely than not, they were poor so the funding for the school paled in comparison when compared to funding for Whites. Although, revisions in the Texas constitution made public education better for Blacks, however, it did not specify higher education. In fact, after the state gain readmission into the Union, the laws shifted again. What was different this time around was that Texas did not have any obligation to ensure their Black citizens equal education. For instance, in article VII, section 14, it discussed the formation of a Black university but it had stipulations. First, the creation of such school was at the legislature discretion, “when deemed practicable”. Next, the funding of the school was severely limited

The American Revolution; the event that shaped the whole society and government we know and live in today. Before the Revolution began, life in Colonial America was controlled by the British. The colonies did not have a say in how things were run or in any of the laws. This included taxes put on items such as paper and alcohol. The American Colonists did not agree with the way they were being treated. Tighter control from the British sparked a need for independence within the Colonies.

Since the establishment of America’s first schools, the American people have disagreed not only about what the purpose of school is, but also about what schools should teach. Initially schools were supposed to “prepare men to vote intelligently and prepare women to train their sons properly. Moral training based on the Protestant Bible would produce virtuous, well-behaved citizens [who knew not only] the three R’s but [also] the general principles of law, commerce, money, and government” (Kaestle, 1983, p. 5). During the 1780’s educational theorists began calling for reform and in 1785 Massachusetts law

Currently the education system in the United States is funded mostly on a state and local level, who always borne over 90% of the public elementary and secondary education finances (need cite). The original Department of Education was developed in 1867 to collect information on schools and teaching that would help the States establish effective school systems (need cite). Fast forward over one hundred years to 1980, when Congress established the Department of Education as a Cabinet level agency, and note that education standards and improvement continue to be of great importance to the government. It is important to note that the state and federal government play separate roles in the education of students, whereas the federal government has the means to