Slavery’s Lingering Effects on Racial Inequality in Southern School Enrollment

• In Event: Remembering the Legacy of Racial, Economic, and Geographical Injustices in the Pursuit of Educational Justice and Renewal

Abstract

Some think slavery is too ancient, irrelevant, divisive, or uncomfortable for children to learn. Policy-makers have therefore questioned and constrained whether and how slavery is taught in American schools. We enter this debate by tracing how slavery itself continues to shape American education. Drawing on the theory of historical path dependency, we show how variation in Southern counties’ past slave dependence has direct, lingering effects on school enrollment and segregation. Counties with greater past slave dependence see higher rates of White flight from public to private schools today, as well as Blacker, more racially isolated public schools. Unlike contemporary claims, slavery’s imprint on American education is real and measurable, showing the importance of understanding and learning from our past.

Authors

• Karen Phelan Kozlowski, University of Southern Mississippi

• Matthew Ward, University of Southern Mississippi