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Congress makes it illegal for Native Americans to be taught in their own native languages
Boarding schools were created where Native American students would be taught only in English; children were severely punished, for using their native language instead of English. As a result of this, many languages indigenous to America are in danger of losing their last native speakers. This wasn't amended until the 1990s when Congress reversed this by passing the Native American Languages Act, which prohibited this kind of treatment. For example, Steel Indian School Park in Phoenix. -
Thirteenth Amendment
The Thirteenth Amendment was enacted by the Senate on April 8, 1864; by the House on January 31, 1865; and ratified on December 6, 1865, abolished slavery within the United States. It made any form of involuntary servitude illegal, except for as a form of punishment of a crime. President Abraham Lincoln headed this Amendment in the wake of the Civil War. Although this was passed, it did not "cure" slavery; our country still has work to do. -
Fourteenth Amendment
The 14th Amendment was passed by the Senate on June 8, 1866, and ratified two years later. It gave citizenship to all "born or naturalized in the United States," including former slaves, and delivered “equal protection under the laws". This Amendment would be used in multiple Supreme Court cases in relation to segregation in years to come. -
Tape v. Hurley
California Supreme Court finds that San Francisco’s public school system must admit 8-year-old Mamie Tape; a Chinese American student. In September of 1884, Principal Jennie Hurley refused her admittance, stating the school-board policy against admitting Chinese children. The Supreme court ruled with Tape's parents. This was done 70 years prior to Brown v. Board of Education -
Plessy v. Ferguson
The Supreme Court ruled that "separate but equal" was not in violation of the rights of people of color; so long as the facilities were equal for each race and were of the same standard quality. The case stemmed from an incident that occurred in 1892 where an African American passenger on a train, Homer Plessy, refused to sit in the train car specifically for black people. This reinstated that Jim Crow laws would remain. -
Indian Citizenship Act
Congress granted citizenship to any Native Americans born within the United States. Prior to its passing, many were denied voting rights by state or local laws because, until 1957, the right to vote was a state-by-state right. -
Brown v. Board of Education
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the racial segregation of students at black and white public schools was unconstitutional. Oliver Brown filed a class-action lawsuit against the Board of Education in Topeka, Kanas when his daughter, Linda, was rejected from an all white school. He said that the schools for black children were not equal in quality to the white schools and violated the 14th amendment. It was deemed that segregated schools were inherently unequal. -
Little Rock Nine
The Little Rock Nine were a group of nine Black students who registered at the previously all-white Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas; a trial of Brown v. Board of Education. On the first day of classes, Governor Orval Faubus called the Arkansas National Guard to block their entry. President Dwight D. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to chaperone them to school, not because he agreed with desegregation but because he could not have a governor use the military against the government. -
Pyler v. Doe
The Supreme Court ruled that denying undocumented children of illegal immigrants the right to attend public school constitutes discrimination based on alienage that violates the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Justice Marshall emphasized that education is fundamental and Justice Blackmun agreed by saying that it denies those children affected with the opportunity to succeed because of a violation of law by their parents. -
Title IX
Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or education program that is funded by the federal government. This was a part of the Education Amendments of 1972. The amendment also included discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. -
Milliken v. Bradley
School district lines cannot be redrawn for the purpose of fighting segregation unless the segregation was the outcome of prejudiced acts by those school districts. After the comprehensive notion of Brown v. Board, this took a step back in deciding the power of courts to handle segregation in public schools. This allowed for the segregation of students of color in metropolis districts from the richer white pupils in suburban communities. -
Education of All Handicapped Children
This act was passed by the US Congress. It is also known as Public Law 94–142. This act required all public schools accepting federal funds to provide equal access to education and one free meal a day for children with physical and mental disabilities. Children aged 3-21 are included in this act. It is now called the Individual with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA).