Race and Schooling in the South 1880-1950 - Book Report/Review Example

Race and schooling in the South, 1880-1950: an economic history Margo, Robert A. University of Chicago Press, 1990. Jiayuan Gao 04/14/2015 Introduction This book discusses the various interrelationships among schooling, labor markets as well as race amongst individual in the American South from the nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. Thorough research conducted by historians, as well as social scientists, has expanded us on the necessary skills and knowledge of slavery and more importantly its economic repercussion to blacks. This book pays little attention to the post-slave experience of the economy of America. The primary purpose of this book is to intensify the understanding of the context it has provided as well as the experience of the various changes in the racial, economic disparities after the Second World War. Chapter 1–Two Explanation of economic progress In this section, Margo demonstrates the two explanations of the economic development. First he uses the major challenge that is brought about by the difference in the economic status of the Blacks, in addition to the Whites in the United States. There are various factors behind the variations among the whites and the Blacks. These factors include race, labor markets as well as schooling. By putting these interrelations into a more geographical and historical context, there can be an emergence of economic development as well as social change. The author focuses on the American South from the late 19th century up to the mid 20th century. Margo demonstrates the various significant benefits that were gained by the Blacks after the Second World War as measured by the Black –White earnings ratio. Chapter 2-Race and Schooling in the South The author uses this chapter to demonstrate the racial disparities that existed in the south before 1950 regarding the quality of schooling. The difference is also indicated by school attendance and literacy as well as educational attainment in the region. In addition, the difference is demonstrated by the quality of schooling as evaluated by the nominal features of the public schools such as length of the school academic year, class sizes as well as expenditure per pupil. Although racial differences in schools attendance, as well as illiteracy, reduced as time went by, racial differences in the educational attainment remained significant. Chapter 2.1 Illiteracy in the south before 1950 In this section, the author describes the distribution of literacy among the blacks and white in the south. Before 1940, the United States Bureau of Census collected information regarding literacy in the south. The criteria for choosing the literate or literate was to read and write using any language. In 1880, 76 percent of the blacks who were residing in the south between the age of ten and over were illiterate. This means that the number of blacks who were illiterate was higher than the southern whites by 55, percent. Chapter 3-The Political Economy of the segregated In this chapter, the author demonstrates how regions were politically segregated. In the nineteenth century, the black to the white proportion of per pupil expenses in the public schools around the South declined. The decrease was, as a result, the growing demand for quality white schools. Although schools in the black population were receiving some funds, the forces were ensuring that the flow of fund was a compensation of their voting rights. In 1890, the number of adult males per child was very significant in determining a county-level variation in the budget per pupil. Budgets were lesser in the in the black belt and relatively upper in the wealthier parishes. Unlike richer counties, black counties had lower per pupil budget until after disenfranchisement. Wealth and race became the determinants of the differences in school resources, Black belt that did not require any local taxes as they relied on state aid and police jury appropriation. If a county had few blacks to exploit, the budgets were raised as long as the in question whites were interested to be better and were middle class. On the other hand, if the county is poor the whites used to fall behind. Chapter 4-“Teachers Salaries in Black and White.” This chapter compares the salaries of Black teachers and White teachers as well as the proximity cause of racial disparity in the expenditure per pupil. The author takes an analysis of why black teachers received different wages from the white teachers. A census conducted by United States Census Bureau indicates that black teachers were experiencing wage discrimination. In other word, black teachers were paid less amount compared to an equivalently qualified white teacher. Discrimination was because of the demand-side behavior by the school boards. In addition, the demand for white teachers was higher than the demand for the black teacher. Therefore, the supply of white teachers was low and, as a result, schools had to pay higher wages to lure them into their institution. Chapter 4.1- Racial differences in Teacher Salaries, 1890-1954 In 1939, a law pursuit was filled by the NAACP, which was against the Norfolk School Board. Norfolk School discriminated black teachers by paying them fewer wages for no reason apart from the race. To be precise, Black teachers who had an ordinary school degree and no prior experience were being paid $226 less per annum compared to similarly qualify white teachers. On the other hand, a white male teacher, who is hired to teach in a segregated high school in a city, could earn 53 percent more than a black teacher with similar education level and teaching experience. Chapter 4.2- the determinants of Teachers Salaries: 1910 and 1940 There are various considerations that were used to determine what a typical black teacher is remunerated. In 1910, a black teacher could teach in a poorly equipped school, teach large classes and ultimately, he or she is earning less than their counterparts white teacher. Chapter 5 –Impact of Separate but Equal This chapter describes the racial differences in school resources leading racial differences in outcomes. In the mid 20th century, children living in the South attended schools that had fewer resources per pupil than the public schools that were attended by the white children. In other word, the schools are racially separate but in real sense they are equal. Chapter 5.1 -The Moral Dilemma of Separate but Equal This section explains the moral dilemma in discrimination. In 1890, the state legislature of Louisiana passed an Act, requiring equal although separate accommodations for whites and blacks roving the same state on all commuter railways apart from streetcars. Violation of the law was punishable by paying a fine of $25 or serving twenty days in jail. Strict regulations of the Equal but separate laws would have reduced the racial disparities in literacy rates, school attendance as well as test scores. Therefore the violation, of the equal but separate law constricted economic progress of the Blacks. Nevertheless, the equal but not separate law was adequate in equalizing the outcomes of education (Margo). Chapter 6-The Competitive Dynamics of Racial Discrimination. This chapter emphasizes on the implications of these disparities for the labor market results. The section mainly highlights on the employment both in the industries and in various occupations in the south. Chapter 6.1-Race and Employment is the South, 1900-1950 This section emphasizes on the quantitative evidence on the racial disparities in employment in the South. This section emphasizes on employment in industries and occupation between from 1900- 1950. The South started in the 20th Century having a majority of male workers both white and black working in the farming industry. During this period, few men participated in the Agricultural sector in relation to the total number of males that were registered in the labor market. Nevertheless, the number was still substantial as they actively managed to sustain other sectors of the economy. Notable racial disparities in the agriculture participation were small during the end of the century. Chapter 7-Migration to the South In this chapter, the author explains the migration of the blacks to the south. The results put forward that an assorted mixture of human capital, as well as institutional models, perform a better job of clearing up racial disparities in the labor market results than when either model is separately taken. Chapter 7.1-“To the Promised Land”-Education and the Black Exodus This section expresses the close relationship between leaving the South and Schooling. There was a favorable comparison between the economic statuses of the Black and the White. Nevertheless, the economic status of the Sothern Black was far below that of Non-Southern whites (Margo). Chapter 7.2-Schooling and the Great Migration At the commencement of the end of the 20th century, approximately ninety percent of the black populations were living in the south while about 4.3 percent of the population of those who were born in the region was living in a different place. In 1920, there was an increase in black migration by 8 percent. Later in 1930, the population increased to 13 percent. The proportion of the Black living in the south started to decline in the 1950. People who were born in the region had started leaving. Historians and social scientists have significantly investigated the broad economic and social force behind the movement of the blacks from the South. This movement is mostly referred to as the great movement. The book has paid less attention to the migrants. Nevertheless, it is known that single men, young men, and women dominated the migrants. It is believed that the migrants were drawn in regions that were geographically accessible and had information about the North. After a lengthy trip, carefully plotted as well as many transitional sojourns,the final destination for many migrants was in big cities like Chicago or Pittsburgh. The author demonstrates the issue of schooling by examining a novel by Bowles. Between the year 1955 and 1960, a census published by Bowles indicated that a considerable number of blacks who had better education were more likely to come from the South. Statistics that were published earlier appeared to be less informative. Either the cross-classification of the migrants was too limited or the characteristics of the migrants were not at all compiled independently from those of non-immigrants When a census was taken, the migrant status is inferred if the person lived outside the South but was born in the region. Although this was a way of controlling migration, return or multiple migrations cannot be identified. This challenge is overshadowed by the reality that the patchy can be developed in a consistent way across the samples of the census (Margo). Chapter 7.2 -Accounting for Changes in Black Schools One of the main causes of the great migration was a need for informed studies by a social group whose finding and methodologies have been used had been largely framed the discussion up to the present world. At the end of the century, the real wages of the south was below average as compared to the rest of the other regions in the United States. In addition, the rule of higher wages botched to pull a considerable quantity of the Southern Blacks in to the North. Chapter 8- Conclusion: Race Social Change, and the Labor Market The black to white earnings ratio significantly increased forty years after the Second World War, and there was an emergence of a new black middle class. These changes stand in bleak contrast to the mid-century before 1940. The book discusses various frameworks for interpreting the long term inclination in the racial income disparities. Some of these long-term trends include human capital model as well as an institutionalist model. Under the human capital model, the book describes the racial disparities in the quality and quantity of schooling, improvement in the black status and more importantly an argument that the differences between the white and the blacks narrowed after the Second World War. On the other hand, under the institutionalist model, improvement in economic status among the blacks is pure dependant on “shocks” in the United States economy that increased the non-farm demand for black labor. Works Cited Margo, Robert A. Race and Schooling in the South, 1880-1950: Economic History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2007. Book. Read More