Educational system in 1920's in America

Essay by teh89888College, UndergraduateA+, April 2008

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Around the year of 1920’s, there were two types of schools in America’s education system. Generally, it consists of Public Schools and Private Schools. The Oregon School System does play a crucial role in their country’s education system, started from the year of 1922. A group of people which is also known as “Ku Klux Klan” and “the Scottish Rite Masons” had also involved in the formulation of educational system for the sake of the society in that time. They set the requirements of education for their young generations in that period of time. Basically, it requires all of the young generations especially children, who are free from physically disability, live more than three miles from the nearest road, have already completed the eighth grade in their previous school, and their age must be ranges from 8 to 16, to attend the Public School to further their studies. By the effecting of “state law” in 1 June 1925, it required all of the children in America to attend the public schools instead of neither private schools nor parochial schools.

In order to ensure that such system is fully obeyed and followed by the parents, those parents who did not send their children to such schools will receive some punishments. They can be fined one hundred dollar or get into jail up to one month or both of the punishments. (http://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/pierce.html)However, this type of education system do brings some protestation and objections from the society. The society especially parents wonder why they do not have the rights and choices to send their children to what kind of school and receive what type of education. Thus, such system was soon been challenged by the “Society of Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary”, which it was originated from Catholic Nuns. They are promoting a private military school. Throughout such educational school, all orphans and young men between the ages of 5 to 21 will be taught in such institution. (http://www.nd.edu/~rbarger/www7/pierce.html) In “The Great Gatsby”, Nick Carraway was graduated from New Haven School in 1915. Moreover, there were some rumours saying that Jay Gatsby was graduated from Oxford. Gatsby studied in college of St. Olaf’s, which is situated in Minnesota. But after 2 weeks, he quit from the college. Back to the author of “The Great Gatsby”, F. Scott Fitzgerald, he has attended St. Paul Academy in 1908. While in the year of 1911, he furthers his studies in Newman School, Hackensack, New Jersey. Lastly, he was enrolled in Princeton University in the year of 1913. (http://education.yahoo.com/homework_help/cliffnotes/the_great_gatsby/1.html)Moreover, the educational system in America had experienced some drastic changes in 1920’s. For instance, the increases in numbers of students who attend public school had lead to the rises of demand of teachers. Besides that, “Red Scare”, “religious controversy” and “political strife” had also influenced the education system as well. Furthermore, the changes also included the opening of new classes for science subjects, physical education, home economics, geography and industrial arts. The educational system had slightly experienced small changes as well, which has only focus on Three R’s (Reading, Writing and Arithmetic). In 1896, Plessy v. Ferguson established the doctorine of “separate but equal” schools for minority ethnics. Indirectly, it greatly take advantage of the blacks. For sure, it does insured separation, but definitely not equality in education between Blacks and Whites. For example, we can see that the average expenditure of states and municipalities for educational purpose of white students was far more outweighing than black students. Furthermore, blacks are always being deterred from certain occupation and jobs as well.

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