Essay On African American Education

Thomas Jefferson remains one of the first advocates for public education, which was later termed the Common School Movement. He recognized the inequality in education, for the wealthy stood the only ones capable of affording an education, thus the poor stayed poor and the rich stayed rich. Jefferson aspired to change the apparent injustices in the education system. He felt all children possessed the right to and education regardless of prosperity, heritage, and circumstances. Even though Jefferson remained not able to create the change he so desperately sought to make, he never stopped trying and since education stayed revolutionized, for his persistence in equality. James Conant, former president of Harvard University stated, “In short, as I view the American scene of the 1960’s, I am ready to declare without hesitation that Jefferson’s proposals have become incorporated in the pattern of our educational structure” (Mercer, 1993).

The modern American society is best defined by its education. The “American dream” is founded on going to school, getting a good job, and becoming successful. Ironically, the actual native peoples of this country are actually the least likely to attain this dream. The largest obstacle they face is lack of proper education. The standard educational practices being used for the instruction of Native American peoples is not effective. There are many pieces to this road-block, and many solutions. This can be rectified by having more culturally aware teachers and parents, and by teaching the general population more about the Native American cultures.

In early America, only a couple of schools were open, and children were mainly taught at home or were sent to a boarding school. In 1837, a man named Horace Mann led the Massachusetts Board of Education and he seeked free, equal, non-religious education for all social classes. This was a major step towards obtaining natural rights. In documents H and E, it shows that education is one of the most important things in life. For example, “... It does better than to disarm the poor of their hostility towards the rich; it prevents being poor” (Doc. H). This quote shows that having an education can prevent someone being in poverty because, if you are smart, then you can get a high paying job, which will prevent you from being poor. Another example is, “When he goes to school he walks quickly, and does not lose time on the road. ‘My parents,’ he says, ‘are very good to save some of their money in order that I may learn to read and write’...” (Doc. E). This shows that his parents were willing to spend the extra money for their child to get an education, which will give him a chance at a better life. Without having an education, you will not get very far in life. It is a necessity to life. Education really helped expand democratic ideals in the United States because, giving different class people the chance to attend school and get a free education is the best possible way to do it. You are giving poor and wealthy children the

Our Spirits Don’t Speak English provides insight into Indian boarding schools in the United States. Children of Indian tribes were mandated by the U.S. government to attend boarding schools. The purpose of these schools were to educate Indians in Western ways and language; thus, making these children “civilized.” From a trauma lens, children of these boarding schools could be viewed as victims. Indian children were forcibly removed from their homes and stripped of their Native American identity. Upon arrival, Indian children were forced to cut their hair in the Western fashion and were only allowed to wear European-style clothing.

Ever since the establishment of equal education in the United States, there has been a disparity in academic success between children of different races. The education of African American children has become a prime example of this. As discussed in the historical text, A Letter to My Nephew, which was written during the time of the civil rights movement in the 1950’s and 1960’s, African Americans were not given equal opportunities to succeed educationally and could do little to change their futures for the better. They had to work much harder than whites to receive even a portion of the recognition and success that whites achieved (Baldwin 1). Although many today believe America has overcome this problem, it still remains a pressing issue in many aspects of society, arguably the most important being education. The racial achievement gap, an important term to familiarize with when discussing this topic, refers to the disparity in educational performance between students of different races (National Education Association 1). As of now, although the education achievement gap has been narrowing, there still remains a large disparity between African Americans and their racial counterparts. According to a study by Roland G. Freyer and Steven D. Levitt, professors at Harvard University and W.E.B Du Bois Institute, respectively, African American students enter kindergarten already significantly behind children of other races, and their test scores continue to drop

Before the Civil War, slavery was an extremely popular way to maintain the economy of the South and to bring richness to wealthy white slaveholders. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation freed slaves in the Confederate States of America, there was still slavery existing in the Union and remaining border states that did not cooperate with the Confederacy. Consequently, in the 1860s, President Lincoln and Congress started to draft new to emancipate all African Americans and this soon became the thirteenth Amendment which made slavery illegal throughout the United States. According to an excerpt from a report from a Northern white man to the United States government in 1866, Andrews claimed that “Many of the negroes…common plantation Negroes, and day laborers in the town and villages, were supporting little schools themselves.” (Andrews). For the first time ever, African Americans were granted with rights to send their children into public schools get educated as the white Americans do. Before the thirteenth Amendment was proposed, African Americans were outlawed and prohibited from attending school or even reading and writing. The establishment of public schools for freemen was a crucial act in the history that provides opportunities for them to obtain knowledge and live as equal as white Southerners. While there are some historians who claimed the thirteenth Amendment was ineffective since schools were still segregated, but realistically they all received the same regulations. According to a Jim Crow Law in Tennessee, the document claimed that,“White and colored persons shall not be taught in the same school, but in separate schools under the same general regulations as to management, usefulness and efficiency” (Jim Crow Law). Congress established the Freedmen’s Bureau in March, 1865, to assist former slaves. The main

The African American males access to higher learning is detrimental to the United States economy. The social conditions that plague African American males in their quest for college degrees are very obvious. For more than 40 years, the African American male has been missing in action from higher learning institutions by a margin of 50:1. In this paper, I will explore the problems and the critical actions needed for correction.

Views of African Americans on education: Malcolm X on a Homemade Education; W.E.B. Dubois in Education; and Oliver Crowell Cox in Education

increases in the United States, their representation is public education remains very low. For Native Americans, there has been a history of continuous underrepresentation in teaching. Women represent the most predominant representation, in gender. In 1991, 72% of the teachers were female as opposed to only 28% of male teachers. As of today, the percentage of women remains predominant. According to the NEA, 41% of teachers are black females and 42% represent while females as compared to their opposite gender 23% of the teachers are black males and 27% of teachers represent white males (NEA, 2015).The proportion of teachers of color as of today is 18% compared to two decades ago it was counted as 26% ( NEA, 2015) . According to the National

As the Civil War finished and Slavery did, as well, the subject for African American's opportunity did not. African Americans had been given their opportunity from subjection yet not their flexibility from isolation. In 1896 after the Plessy versus Ferguson court case, the Supreme Court observed that isolation, “separate but equal” (1), out in the open offices was not against the Constitution. This meant that “Separate schools for blacks and whites became a basic rule in southern society.”(1) All these things were about to change. This is shown through Brown v Board of Topeka 1954 case which was a development in African American history, as it started the long procedure of racial reconciliation, beginning with schools. Isolated schools were

The first test that I took on the website was the “Race IAT” test. As I was answering the first few questions I was finding it to be a little racist. The reason why I found it be racist is because, of how they said whether I agree or not if African American children have a negative effect on European American children in schools. My answer was no, African American children do not have a negative effect on other children because, their only kids going through an education and every child has their own view points. In a way children can be influenced by other kids but, having a certain race in the class doesn’t automatically influence other children to bad. While I read the questions given to me I started to feel a bit of anger because, I have

Education has always been valued in the African American community. During slavery freed slaves and those held captive, organized to educate themselves. After emancipation the value of education became even more important to ex-slaves, as it was their emblem of freedom and a means to full participation in American Society (Newby & Tyack, 1971). During this time many schools for African Americans were both founded and maintained by African Americans. African Americans continued to provide education throughout their own communities well into the 1930’s (Green, McIntosh, Cook-Morales, & Robinson-Zanartu, 2005). The atmosphere of these schools resembled a family. The

One of the biggest problems Africans Americans faced in America is Segregation, discrimination, racism, prejudice, rebellion, religion, resistance, and protest. These problems have helped shape the Black struggle for justice. Their fight for justice marks a long sequence of events towards their freedom. Provisions of the Constitution affect the operation of government agencies and/or the latitude chief executives and legislatures in the creation and implementation of policies today. The rights and passage of Amendments granted to African Americans in the Constitution serve as a source of “first principles” governing the actions and policies of elected and appointed public servants across the United States. The 15th Amendment Equal Rights: Rights

Being an individual of color has certainly taught me a few valuable lessons in my 17 years of life. The social constructs of slavery and racism is not over. No matter how much wealth you posses or how much “freedom” you’ve acquired, you still are considered a “nigga.” Even though being black in America varies and differs from every person, I live in a generation where I am systematically oppressed and have to rise up beyond the stereotypes of being black. I’ve learned that saying hello is just another way of saying goodbye.