Educational Rights and the West: Oklahoma State Formation and the Legal Challenges for Educational Funding

• In Event: Manifesting Destiny: Race, Place, and the Disruption of the American West

Abstract

This paper explores a series of court challenges brought by Black families during the early years of Oklahoma statehood. In the territory, Black pioneers fought segregated schools seeking the protection of the courts whose judges were federal appointees. Statehood ushered in an era of racist legislation that would segregate schools statewide. During this pivotal time in the determination of rights for Blacks, this paper asks: how did Black families perceive their rights to education and the role education would play in their access to full citizenship status in the newly formed state? How would educational access be used by whites to deny citizenship rights to Blacks? What role would an activated class of Black lawyers play in securing these rights?

Author

• Sara Doolittle, University of Central Oklahoma
  Presenting Author