Coursework 5

Founding ideal of American democracy (regarding social status)

The belief that merit, not accident of birth, should determine individuals’ income and social status.

Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments

Critical legislation that, despite their intent, did not immediately result in equality for African Americans.

Jim Crow Laws

State laws enacted by many states that created separate facilities and treatment for African Americans.

Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

A Supreme Court decision that maintained the legality, and consequently the practice, of racial discrimination under the 'separate but equal' doctrine.

Title IX (1972)

Legislation that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities operated by recipients of federal financial assistance.

"Mexican schools"

Segregated schools Latino children were expected to attend in the southwest, particularly in the 1870s, despite the absence of specific discriminatory laws.

De jure segregation

Segregation that is mandated 'by law,' as African American children experienced in the south.

De facto segregation

Segregation that exists 'in fact,' often through social practices and expectations, as experienced by Latino children in the southwest.

Mendez v. Westminster School District (1946)

A court case decision that officially ended segregation in all California schools.

DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education Act for Alien Minors)

A proposed bill introduced in 2001 to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youth who came to the U.S. as children, often through education.

Conditional Permanent Residence (CPR)

A step on the path to U.S. citizenship, potentially obtainable by undocumented youth who meet specific educational criteria outlined in the DREAM Act.

Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)

A program created in 2012 that provides temporary relief from deportation and work authorization for some undocumented youth, but does not provide permanent legal status.

Indian Boarding Schools

Schools created by the U.S. government to force the assimilation of American Indian children by removing them from their homes and forcing them to relinquish their traditions and culture.

Carlisle Indian Industrial School

The first federally funded Indian Boarding school, founded by Army officer Richard Henry Pratt.

Richard Henry Pratt

An Army officer who founded the Carlisle Indian Industrial School and championed the philosophy 'kill the Indian, save the man'.

"Kill the Indian, save the man"

A phrase by Richard Henry Pratt encapsulating the philosophy of forced assimilation at Indian boarding schools, aiming to eradicate Indigenous culture while 'saving' the person.

Morrill Act of 1862

Legislation that funded land-grant universities by selling over 10.7 million acres of land taken from nearly 250 tribal nations.

Land-grant universities

Educational institutions established with funds from the Morrill Act of 1862, which were derived from the sale of land taken from Indigenous peoples.