Race Distinctions in American LawStephenson, Gilbert Thomas
History
Race Distinctions in American Law
Stephenson, Gilbert Thomas
African Americans -- Politics and government; Law -- United States -- History; United States -- Race relations
the primary schools, and those over that age should be admitted to the
schools of higher grade, and the Japanese coolie labor should be
excluded. Thus was obviated what at one time looked like the approach of
an international controversy over the separation of the races in
schools.
During the last session of the California legislature, that of 1909,
several bills concerning the Japanese were introduced, one of which was
as follows: “Every school, unless otherwise provided by law, must be
open for the admission of all children between six and twenty-one years
of age residing in the district, and the Board of School Trustees or
city Board of Education have power to admit adults and children not
residing in the district whenever good reasons exist therefor.
“Trustees shall have the power to remove children of filthy or vicious
habits or children suffering from contagious or infectious diseases, and
also to establish separate schools for Indian children and for children
of Mongolian or Japanese or Chinese descent.
“When such separate schools are established, Indian, Chinese, Japanese
or Mongolian children must not be admitted into any other school;
provided, that in cities and towns in which the kindergarten has been
adopted, or may hereafter be adopted as part of the public primary
schools, children may be admitted to such kindergarten classes at the
age of four years; and provided further, that in cities or school
districts in which separate classes have been or may hereafter be
established for the instruction of the deaf, children may be admitted to
such classes at the age of three years.” Practically the only difference
between this bill and the present law is the insertion of
“Japanese.”[345]
President Roosevelt considered this and the other bills of such serious
import that he telegraphed to the Governor of the State to use his
influence to prevent enactments of this nature. After a long fight the
bill was killed. The legislature made an appropriation for a census of
the Japanese in California in order to see just how serious the problem
was.[346]
The people along the Canadian Pacific coast are facing a question
similar to that in California. A member of the provincial Parliament
from Manaimo, British Columbia, has recently given notice that he will
introduce a measure providing for the exclusion of Oriental children
from public schools, declaring that his purpose is to compel the
government to maintain separate schools.[347]
DR. CHARLES W. ELIOT ON SEPARATION OF RACES IN SCHOOLS
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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