Review Of Diane Ravitch's The Troubled Crusade: American Education

In the book, The Troubled Crusade: American Education 1945-1980 by Diane Ravitch it shows the fight to have equality in education especially in the chapters of Race and Education: The Brown Decision and Race and Education: Social Science and Law. Ravitch shows the injustice in which blacks were treated and the segregated system seemed impossible to escape, especially in the South. Ravitch shows the change in the idea of “color-blindness” (that all are equal despite race, religion, color, etc.) and how that was the goal until the pursuit for “color-blindness” was considered to be “racism in a new form” (p. 114). Ravitch explores the policy transformation from a “color-blindness” policy to a “color-consciousness” policy which were used when implemented

Johnson, after John F. Kennedy’s assassination, to push Congress to make the The Civil Rights Act of 1964 into a law (Ravitch, p. 141-142). Ravitch quotes Johnson who reports, “The purpose of this law is simple. It does not restrict the freedom of any American so long as he respects the rights of others. It does not give special treatment to any citizen” (p.142). The only way a man can reach a future for themselves and their family is by their own capabilities (p.142). Although this was Johnson’s goal, that black people would not be defined and that he stayed true to what Justice Harlan’s color-blind concept stated in his dissent, but this marks a “turning point... [in] the civil rights movement as well as in the larger issue of the role of race and group consciousness in American life” (Ravitch, p.142). The Civil Rights Act that was trying to be color-blind but they had to address the issue of “racial imbalance”

148 & 163). The Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 was an “updated version of the child benefit theory” where federal aid followed the poor child to open “educational opportunities” for them (p.148-149). Finally, federal aid was able to pass through Congress since the “race-religion deadlock” wasn’t an issue so much anymore, therefore the money was able to follow the poor child (Ravitch, p.148). The biggest and most obvious injustice still at that time, was the slow pace of school desegregation. So, when the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 had been passed it allowed Title VI to have actual power since it stated, “No person...shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance” (Ravitch, p. 162- 163). The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was supposed to help desegregation by encouraging white schools to take in black children. So, the ratification of Title VI allowed the power to cut off federal aid to education to any