Amanda Bloemendaal

1
Education in the 20th Century
Selected moments from 1950-59

• Amanda Bloemendaal
• Shannon Smith

2
Changing Times

• The 1950s were a time of segregation,
  discrimination, and dilemma. Education in the
  50s was changing dramatically due to the fact
  that African Americans were starting to fight for
  their rights.
• During this time, Ralph Ellison1 published the
  novel Invisible man, which gave voice to the
  meaning that many African Americans were seen
  but not heard by the American society. Because
  of these hardships, African Americans began to
  fight for what was rightfully theirs freedom.

3
Significant Events1

• Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
• Montgomery Bus Boycott (1955)
• Supreme court ruling of 1956
• Federal court ruling of 1957
• Little Rock Nine (1957)
• National Defense Education Act (1958)
• Rebel Without A Cause (1958)

These events will be talked about in-depth during
the presentation.
4
Brown v. Board of Education

• In May of 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court made a
  historic decision. This decision declared that
  separate educational facilities for minorities
  were inheritably unequal, according to the
  online article by Dr. Daniel Schugurensky2.
• Furthermore, judges stated that a sense of
  inferiority affected the motivation of children
  to learn. Because of the discrimination that
  was depriving Native Americans of the 14th
  amendment, the integration of public schools was
  mandated by the Supreme court. This continued
  the dramatic shift of business in schools.

5
Montgomery Bus Boycott1

• In 1955 Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to
  give up her seat on a bus to a white women. This
  sparked the Montgomery Improvement Association
  for the blacks, as well as, the Civil Rights
  Movement.
• Education was once again rerouted due to Rosas
  attempt to gain political attention in order to
  help the younger African American generations to
  come.
• Because of the Supreme Court ruling of 1956,
  Alabamas state and local laws requiring
  segregation on buses was deemed unconstitutional.
  

6
Federal Court Ruling of 19571

• In 1957 African Americans gained the right to
  desegregated public schools in Little Rock,
  Arkansas.
• Many southern states, dominated by whites,
  challenged the Supreme and Federal court rulings,
  defying the law by maintaining segregated
  schools.

7
Little Rock Nine2

• Because of the acts of the white southerners,
  nine African American students decided to take
  the law into their own hands.
• One morning in 1957, nine African American
  students of Little Rock, Arkansas walked up to
  the doors of Rock Central High, which was an
  all-white school, creating an uproar. After
  several days of protesting and the passing of
  time, what was once an all-white school, had
  become an African American dominated school.

8

• Shortly after this, the movie industry was
  being blamed for juvenile delinquency and
  decline in mortality2. An example of this was
  the movie, Rebel Without A Cause2, which aired
  in 1958.
• Although some of the events which led up to
  this time negatively effected the role of
  education, such as the movie, most aided the
  African Americans in receiving the education that
  they deserved.
• African Americans, as well as, the education
  system have come along way since the 1950s.
  African Americans continue to strive for
  equality today.
• However, we are still facing problems
  with discrimination as we enter the new
  millennium. As educators, we must learn to work
  through these dilemmas towards a better tomorrow.
  

9
The End
Click here for footnotes.
10
Foot Notes

• 1 Pedraza Sonia, Purvi Mody, Janelle Scott
  Dorie Gray. Department of Adult Education
  Community Development and Counseling Psychology.
  Online
• http//fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/daniel_schugurensky
  /assignment1/sigevents50.html (10/01/00)
• 2 Schugurensky Dr. Daniel. Department of Adult
  Education Community Development and Counseling
  Psychology. Online http//fcis.oise.utoronto.ca/
  daniel_schugurensky/assignment1/index.html
  (10/01/00)
• For more information, contact him via email at
  dschugurensky_at_oise.utoronto.ca

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