Education in America
America has had to overcome many obstacles in the time that it has been a nation. When the first constitution was being drafted, the writers struggled with balancing a government that didn’t impose on the people’s lives, but was still able to enforce the laws it mandated. Similarly, America has and still is working on improving the equality of education. While it has always been considered normal for white males to be educated, groups with fewer rights such as women and African Americans have had to fight for their rights to an equal education. Since the early days of our country, there has been a drastic change in the ways Americans view education, leading towards the goal of an equal education for all ethnic, economic, and social groups.
In the 1700s, women’s education was focused on preparing women to be skilled at household duties and chores in order to find a suitable husband. This was because education in America was based off of European traditions. In Europe, most wealthy girls were sent to a governess, while middle class families sent their children to town schools, and lower class families were not able to afford any education. In colonial America, young children attended dame schools in which the education tended to be equivalent to a kindergarten education by today’s standards. One person would take in a group of children and teach them to read and write and how to go about their daily chores. Young boys learned the skills necessary to enter a town school while girls learned what was considered “womanly” skills, like sewing and were not often given the option to attend town schools by their families. Some towns even banned girls from attending.
By the end of the eighteenth century, they were allowed to attend town schools, but they were taught separately from the boys. In the South, plantations were too far apart for schools, so families brought in private tutors to teach their sons. If the girls were lucky, they would be allowed to listen in to lessons, or a governess would be brought in to teach them. Young girls were often taught to read so that they could read the Bible and to write and do basic math so they could record household expenses. In addition, they were taught social etiquette, music, needlework, cooking, and nursing. All of their lessons were geared towards being a wife, mother, and housekeeper. Quakers and Moravian communities educated both genders and proposed that both young girls and boys schools be started. However, they still taught the genders separately and girls’ education tended to focus on domestic skills. Conversely, Puritans believed that girls should be able to read the Bible, but they did not believe women needed to be able to write.
In the 1800s, there were many changes in secondary education. By the middle of the century, women were being admitted into co-education state colleges. These secondary schools flourished and were called “academics”. Young Ladies Academy was one such school that served as a model for other female academies that arose in the century. However, these schools did not require young women to stay for any set period of time, and the curriculum varied. While academies increased, the term “seminary” became more popular to refer to those schools that were more serious about having its students complete their education. In 1815, the Female Seminary Movement began, led by women such as Mary Lyon, Emma Willard, and Catharine Beecher. Their goal was to offer women an education equal to men’s by holding pupils to the same high standards. Catharine Beecher wanted to provide a real education for women, but she and other leaders were faced with difficulties in teacher all the topics they wanted to. Beecher taught ten to twelve subjects a day, meaning she was not able to spend much time on each topic and was forced to skim over each subject. She sought donation and she eventually expanded her school to become the Hartford Female Seminary with eight teachers. Each teacher would focus on only a few subjects so that each subject would be taught in a complete manner and would include all core concepts.
In the 1900s, rules shifted lower and middle class students from factories to schools and public schools gained many more students and were in need of more funding. As a result, schools were focused on economic efficiency rather than a valuable education. The American Federation of Teachers was founded to combat the working conditions of teachers. Most teachers at the time faced low wages, lack of political and community support, and female teachers faced rules regarding appearance and social life. Some female teachers were not permitted to marry and their ability to socialize with men was restricted. In addition, they had a limited amount of time that they were allowed to be out in public, and a strict dress code involving long dresses and certain hairstyles. Margaret Haley strove for better working conditions for all teachers, but especially female teachers. In 1901, she resigned from her teaching position in order to devote all her time and energy to organizing teachers. She was the head of the Chicago Teacher Federation and helped in founding the American Federation of Teachers. She was also nominated to be its first president but instead the job was given to Charles Stillman, a vocational high school teacher. Haley was instead given an unpaid position, the national organizer. As a result of ideological differences with Stillman, Haley eventually withdrew from the American Federation of Teachers.
African Americans faced many difficulties in their pursuit of an equal education. Most African Americans in the country were enslaved until the mid 1800s. Most slaves were not allowed to receive and education. In most states it was forbidden by law to provide slaves with an education. Once African Americans were freed, they were permitted to receive an education, but it was not nearly the same quality as that of the white population. Quakers diverged from the norm and promoted the education of African Americans. However, it was difficult to maintain such school in existence due to lack of funding and little support for the rest of the white community. In 1896, in the court case of Plessy versus Ferguson, it was determined that African Americans were permitted to have a separate but equal education compared to the white population’s education. This remained the norm until 1954. The court case of Brown versus the Board of Education, reversed the decision previously reached in Plessy Versus Ferguson. Brown versus the Board of Education ended segregation in all settings, including schools. Three years later, the first African Americans entered a previously all-white school in Arkansas. Known as the Little Rock Nine, these nine African American students were the first of many to make the courageous first step into integrating both races in one school. Phillis Wheatley was one African American who helped in making major strides in the education of African Americans.
Other minorities also faced many struggles in their quest for equal rights and an equal education. Although it was not as common for education to be forbidden for minorities such as Latinos, Middle Easterners, Native Americans, and Asian Americans, they still faced a lot of discrimination in the schools. In addition, since their families emigrated to America more recently and as a result of the discrimination they faced, they tended to belong to the lower classes, or the lower middle class. As a result, they were not able to afford sending their child to obtain an education. This limitation was not solely based on the monetary cost of school, but also on the need for their children to earn money.
Lower class families often utilized their children as an asset to the family, rather than just one more mouth to feed. Children would work multiple jobs and earn an increased income for their families. Therefore, although they were not forbidden from attending class, most did not due to economic and social reasons. A Mexican man in Texas strove to change that. In 1954, the same year as the decision was reached in Brown versus the Board of Education, the Supreme Court also reached a consensus regarding the case of Hernandez versus Texas. Hernandez versus Texas determined that all Americans of Hispanic, Asian, Middle Eastern, Native American, and other nonwhite descent should also be treated equally. This included all social aspects of life, including in their education.
Times have changed drastically since the 1700s. Today we continue to strive for equality in education for all genders, races, and other social, economic, and political groups, but in different ways. Although there is a much more equal representation now than in the past, there are still some groups that are underrepresented in education, particularly in certain fields. Women, African Americans, Hispanics, and other minority groups tend to be underrepresented in the STEM fields of science, engineering, math, and technology. As a result of this, there have been multiple organizations that strive to promote equality in these fields. Universities, scholarship communities, and companies have all committed themselves to promoting equality in gender and race in education. And these efforts have paid off.
As seen in the graphs above, the efforts have been relatively successful over the past fifty years. In the graph above, the immense increase in women with Master’s Degrees has proven this fact. As seen in the second graph, the percent of minorities who have completed their education has increased immensely over the past fifty years. In particular, the African American community has made great strides in improving their percent with respect to the percent of white Americans. However, there is still a substantial gap, particularly with the Hispanic community. Therefore, many colleges and universities will favor minorities and accept them over other students, particularly in STEM fields. In addition, universities, companies, and special programs will provide scholarships geared specifcally towards minority groups, to increase diversity. One such program is our Millennium Scholars Program, which includes diversifying the STEM fields as one of its goals.
Clearly American has come a long way from education being something only available to a predominantly white male population to having extra programs to include minority groups. But some of the tactics to achieve this diversity have been questioned. Obviously excluding women, Hispanics, African Americans, and other minorities from obtaining an education is wrong, and goes against our ideals as Americans. However, it is often being done at the expense of the white population. As a result, some people have questioned whether it is fair to end the discrimination of one group by discriminating against another. This question is for the upcoming generation to answer: Is it justified to end the discrimination against gender and racial minorities by discriminating against the more dominant white male population?
