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Pennsylvania state constitution calls for free public education but only for poor children. It is expected that rich people will pay for their children's schooling.
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First public high school in the U.S., Boston English, opens.
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Massachusetts passes a law making all grades of public school open to all pupils free of charge.
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The U.S. Supreme Court rules that the state of Louisiana has the right to require "separate but equal" railroad cars for Blacks and whites. This decision means that the federal government officially recognizes segregation as legal. One result is that southern states pass laws requiring racial segregation in public schools.
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The Supreme Court unanimously agrees that segregated schools are "inherently unequal" and must be abolished. Almost 45 years later in 1998, schools, especially in the north, are as segregated as ever.
