Lindsay Bernard Lindsay Bernard

Democratic Education: How a Lack of Faith in Education Contributes to a Weaker Democracy

In this article I will first provide a theoretical background of the legal and democratic underpinnings of the public education system in the United States up until the late 19th century. I will then analyze how the ruling of Brown v. Board officially interpreted education to be a public good with the purpose of supporting America’s democracy, thus ruling “separate but equal” schooling unconstitutional. I will discuss how this decision marks a radical shift in American educational theory by considering social equality a necessary component of democratic education. I will then highlight how 21st century perceptions of public schools have contributed to a broader lack of faith in the competency of public education and encouraged a competing interest in privatization of education, undermining the efficacy of education as a public good.. Finally, I conclude with the implications of these concerns on the participation and maintenance of American democracy.

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Lindsay Bernard Lindsay Bernard

A 1920s Virginia Scheme: How Far to Sustain the Color Line?

The majority opinion of Loving v. Virginia declared state laws on interracial marriage unconstitutional by the Fourteenth Amendment upon reviewing a series of 1920s statutes in Virginia. Forty years prior, the case of Buck v. Bell had upheld the sterilization of institutionalized white woman Carrie Buck because she was deemed “incompetent” by 1920s standards. This case was about another 1920s Virginia statute originally deemed constitutional. By evaluating Buck v. Bell through the lens of the statutes established by Loving v. Virginia, however, it becomes clear that the ruling of Buck v. Bell was ultimately meant to legally manage race relations in the state.

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