Public Education History Term Paper Research Paper (Term Paper Sample)

Public Education
Student’s Name
American History Since 1877
May 21, 2019
Introduction
Public education in the US has come a long way. By 1877, a number of states such as New York and Massachusetts had started accepting the idea of Puritans of setting up public schools. This only happened after years of resistance from colonists who preferred schools that particular religions such as Catholics and Quakers sponsored. There had been also another group of people who opposed the idea of using property taxes to fund public schools, something they viewed as unconstitutional. 1877, therefore, marks a pivotal moment in American history where states started actively shifting towards state-controlled school systems. However, the evolution and growth of public education also came with issues such as racial inequalities and increased tax burden to fund the schools. Although the government has tried to minimize these problems, it is evident that they are still ailing the school system. Since 1877, public education has grown and evolved to cover all states in the US and eliminate segregation, though the average spending on students has risen dramatically over the years.[Billy D. Walker, “The Local Property Tax for Public Schools: Some Historical Perspectives,” Journal of Education Finance 9, no. 3 (1984): 268] [Sarah Mondale and Sarah B. Patton, School: The Story of American Public Education (Boston, MA: Beacon Press, 2001), 151.] [Ibid 153] [Amity L. Noltemeyer, Julie Mujic, and Caven S. McLoughlin, The History of Inequality in Education (Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas Publisher Ltd, 2002), 4.]