Original sins : the (mis)education of Black and native children and the construction of American racism / Eve L. Ewing.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ewing, Eve L., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Discrimination in education--United States--History.

Discrimination in education.

Public schools--United States--History.

Public schools.

Segregation in education--United States--History.

Segregation in education.

Racism--United States--History.

Racism.

Education--Political aspects.

Education.

Genre:

Large print books.

large print books.

Physical Description:

663 pages (large print) : illustrations ; 24 cm

large print

Edition:

First large print edition.

Place of Publication:

[New York] : Random House Large Print, [2025]

Summary:

"American public schools have been called "the great equalizer." If all children could just get an education, the logic goes, they would have the same opportunities later in life. But this historical tour-de-force makes it clear that the opposite is true: the educational system has played an instrumental role in creating racial hierarchies, preparing children to expect unequal treatment throughout their lives. In Original Sins, Ewing demonstrates that schools were designed to propagate the idea of white intellectual superiority, to "civilize" Native students and to prepare Black students for menial labor. Schools were not an afterthought for the "founding fathers"; they were envisioned by Thomas Jefferson to fortify the country's racial hierarchy. And while those dynamics are less overt now than they were in centuries past, Ewing shows that they persist in a curriculum that continues to minimize the horrors of American history. Ewing argues that the most insidious aspects of the system are under the radar: standardized testing, tracking, school discipline, and access to resources. By demonstrating that it's in the DNA of American schools to serve as an effective, and under-acknowledged, mechanism maintaining inequality in this country today, Ewing makes the case that there should be a profound re-evaluation of what schools are supposed to do, and for whom. This book will change the way people understand the place they send their children for eight hours a day"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

What are schools for? Jefferson's ghost

Making citizens: schools for White people

Saviorism and social control: schools for Black people

Disappearance by design: schools for Native people

Defective strains. The gospel of intellectual nferiority

A nation of the fittest: endless measurement and the architects of progress

Whose knowledge?

Hands clasped. Carceral logics

To resist isto be criminal

Absolute obedience and perfect submission

Somebody's got to mow the lawn. A crooked playing field

Slavery, settler colonialism, and American wealth

A place to learn your place:education and racial capitalism

Conclusion: Strands together: imagination, liberation, and braiding.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780593946879

0593946871

OCLC:

1487717769

Publisher Number:

90101144785