Black History Month: A Look Back At The Fight For Education Equality In Illinois During The Civil War Era
Equality in education was an issue in Illinois even before the Civil War. After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the end of the war, many t...
Equality in education was an issue in Illinois even before the Civil War. After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the end of the war, many took up the challenge of equal opportunity in public education. At the forefront was Illinois State University, the state's first public institution of higher learning, which used its position to promote education for all students, regardless of color. On April 7, 1863 – less than midway through the Civil War and only six years after ISU's founding – university president Richard Edwards wrote that he believed black students should be admitted.