Timeline of Landmark Legislation

  • Common Schools

    Common Schools
    Common schools were created with the help of Horace Mann, Secretary of Massachusetts Board of Education. Schools were open to all white children and not to African American children. The government funded all schools and it was free to attend. The main purpose of common schools at the time were to spread christian beliefs and democracy.
  • Compulsory Education Law

    Compulsory Education Law
    In 1852 Massachusetts was the first state to pass the Compulsory Education Law. Kids were required to go to school and if they didn't attend parents were fined or in some cases their parental rights. This was for children between the ages 8 and 14 who had to attend 12 weeks per year. Parents who needed their child's help at home unfortunately didn't attend school.
  • Homestead Act

    Homestead Act
    The Homestead act was signed by Abraham Lincoln to allow small farmers to buy their own land, up to 160 acres. They had five year son the land to prove that they can own land of their own and take care of it. Immigrants, farmers, and African Americans were impacted by this because it gave them the opportunity ti have land of their own. Due to the lack of resources some land owners weren't able to keep their land because they didn't reach the requirements.
  • Plessy v. Ferguson

    Plessy v. Ferguson
    Plessy v Ferguson started when Homer Plessy an African American refused to sit in the car for blacks. They took it to U.S. Supreme Court and ruled against him saying he is "separate but equal." This ruled against the 14th amendment because it didn't have to do with Plessy's voting or jury rights.This later on helped Brown v Board.
  • Brown v Board of Education

    Brown v Board of Education
    Brown v Board began when Oliver Brown filed a case against the board after his daughter was denied schooling at an all white school. He explained how the schools for black children were not equal to the white schools. The statement "separate but equal" was in fact false because they were separate but not close to being equal. This case passed and began the landmark of integrating schools.
  • School District of Abington Township v. Schempp

    School District of Abington Township v. Schempp
    This started when Edward Lewis Schempp and his family went to public schools in Pennsylvania. They practiced a different religion and in their public schools they read 10 pages from the bible everyday. They filed a lawsuit against the US district court because their first amendment was violated. They won against the court and students with parent permission were excused from daily prayer.
  • The Elementary and Secondary Education Act

    The Elementary and Secondary Education Act
    The act was passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The act provided funding for schools, instructional materials, and other educational resources. This also aloud equal access to education for kids living in poverty. This positively affected kids in poverty because now they are offered the same opportunity as everyone else.
  • Bilingual Education Act

    Bilingual Education Act
    This act was passed by President Lyndon B. Johnson but was introduced by Texas senator Ralph Yarborough. This act created funding for bilingual education programs. This insured that students who were non English learners received the same education as others. This also aloud funding for hiring the appropriate staff for the job.
  • Title IX

    Title IX
    Title IX of the Education Amendment Act of 1972 was created to help prohibit sex discrimination in education. It was signed by Richard Nixon. This mostly impacted women because they weren't given the same rights as men in education. This allowed women to attend attend college with federal financial aid and also allow funding for women's sports programs.
  • Education of all Handicapped Children Act

    Education of all Handicapped Children Act
    The Education of all Handicapped Children Act was passed by the United States Congress. This act required all public schools with funding to allow access to children with mental or physical abilities the same education as other students. They were created an educational plan to fit the students needs. They were also provided federal funds. The soul purpose of this act allowed no student handicapped or not to a free education.
  • Plyler v Doe

    Plyler v Doe
    Plyer v Doe was a landmark created were states cannot deny immigrant students free public education. It first started in Texas when they denied enrollment for immigrant children.This impacted Mexican immigrants and gave them their rights to free education. Once this was passed some people still believed immigrant children should not be given free education.
  • No Child Left Behind Act

    No Child Left Behind Act
    The No Child Left Behind Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush. This law helped schools to perform better academically. Between 3rd and 8th grade students were required to take a English language arts and math test to see how they are performing. All school districts were involved including students with disabilities, English language learners, and low income students of all race.