The Education Department's Role in Shaping America

After the Civil War, many smart people saw a big problem. They thought that many Southerners who didn't own slaves couldn't read or write. This made them easy to trick. Leaders who supported slavery took advantage of this. They used it to get people to fight for their cause. The end of the Civil War brought a chance to fix this. Educators saw it as a way to make schools better all over the country. They wanted to teach everyone, no matter their skin color. In 1865, a Republican congressman suggested making a new government group. Its job would be to make sure everyone got an education, no matter their race. Two years later, the first Department of Education was born. It had a big job. It had to help freed slaves and teach people who had supported slavery. This was a big deal. It showed that education was important for the country to move forward. Now, things are different. The current president wants to close the Department of Education. He says it hasn't been around that long. But this ignores the department's history. It was made to protect democracy. It aimed to stop a few people from controlling everything by making sure everyone was educated. In March, the president signed an order to close the department. By the end of the month, half of the department's workers lost their jobs. In October, more jobs were cut. These were jobs that made sure schools treated everyone fairly. This month, the department's responsibilities were given to other groups. This makes people wonder if the government is still committed to education.