summarize and make easy

An additional reason for the inconclusive nature of the Amendment's history, with respect to seg- regated schools, 15 the status of public education at that time. In the South, the movement toward free common schools, supported by general 1ax- ation, had not yet taken hold. Education of white children was largely in the hands of pri- vate groups. Education of Negroes was almost nonexistent, and practically all of the race were illiterate. In fact, any education of Negroes was forbidden by law in some states. Today, in con- trast, many Negroes have achieved outstanding success in the arts and sciences as well as in the business and professional world. It is true that public school education at the time of the Amendment had advanced further in the North, but the effect of the Amendment on Northern States was generally ignored in the congression- al debates. Even in the North, the conditions of public education did not approximate those existing today. The curriculum was usually rudi- mentary; ungraded schools were common in rural areas; the school term Wwas but three months a year in many Staies; and compulsory school attendance was virtually unknown. As 2 consequence, it is Tot surprising that there should be so little in the history of the Fourteenth Amendment relating to its intended effect on public education. was the int den san Ga Ok Ul 33 to su th be