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Industrial Revolution (1880s-1900s)
Nearing the end of the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution was erupting in the Northeast United States. Jobs were on the rise and immigrants were flooding into the states. The only problem was that these immigrants were lacking in education. To combat this, education became more standardized and the Lancasterian system was promoted to provide a cheap way of educating the masses of people. This allowed young people and children ways to contribute to society and develop industrial habits. -
Plessy v. Ferguson
In 1896, Homer Plessy refused to sit in the "colored" area of a train and was arrested. The court case that followed was huge. Plessy argued that his 14th Amendment rights were being abridged. The Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" facilities were legal. This affected the course of education because it supported the segregation of schools for at least the next 60 years. -
World War II (1939-1945)
World War II forced a change in curricula towards more warlike topics in schools. Young students were also forced into non-curricular tasks in support of the war. Attendance of schools also significantly shot down due to students as well as staff being drafted in the military. -
Sputnik I Launched
The Soviet Union was the first to launch a satellite into orbit in 1957. The United States was determined to not be left in the dust; due to Sputnik I, U.S. leader passed the National Defense Education Act. This poured money into improving curricula of science, math, and foreign languages. It was also the first step toward a national curricula. Programs like STEM and Common Core Standards are more recent examples of reform that is similar to the Sputnik I reforms. -
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
This Act abolished an earlier quota system and established a system which attracted skilled labor. This attracted droves of Asian immigrants among others to flock to places like California. The school systems in these areas were forced by law in a court case (Lau v. Nichols) to use the immigrants' home languages in teaching at schools. Due to the Act, schools all around California started allowing lessons to be taught in different languages.
