Abstract
This article discusses the history of discrimination toward African Americans in the United States within the scope of federal financial aid policy for higher education from 1944 to 1965. Building on the historiography of the G.I. Bill of 1944 and the de facto exclusion of African Americans from its benefits, this paper argues that the National Defense Education Act was also a de facto exclusionary financial aid bill toward the African American community. The Higher Education Act of 1965 did much to help remedy the prior exclusions of African American from federal financial aid, however, the troubling legacy of discrimination in higher education policy still leaves a stain on this history. Written for a seminar on African Americans and Human Rights, this paper also makes the case that higher education should be seen as a human right for those who seek it.
Recommended Citation
Toritto, Andrew J.
(2022)
"Finding Human Rights in Higher Education: A History of Federal Financial Aid and Discrimination in the United States,"
Of Life and History: Vol. 3, Article 4.
Available at:
https://crossworks.holycross.edu/oflifeandhistory/vol3/iss1/4