NHD Topic Essay

Desegregation in Girard College

My topic is desegregation in Girard College. I chose this topic because it relates to NHD conflict and compromise. I say this because Stephen Girard bought this building and named it Girard College. Stephen whole philosophy was that he wanted to make a school for white orphan boys who didn’t have a father. Stephen vision was that his mission was he wanted to educate children to become productive citizens.

How did segregation come into play with Girard College? On February 16, 1830, Stephen Girard a wealthy Philadelphia merchant, stipulated the establishment of a school for white males between six and eighteen years of age this was in his will. In January 1848 Girard College opened for the education of white male orphans. An attorney named Raymond Pace Alexander who was an African American and he thought that the institution was municipal in nature. He said that the school racial discrimination was unconstitutional.

The board of city trusts tried to persuade Girard College to let African American boys in, but some of the board members decided against it so they said that the board was going against the 14th amendment and the brown decision from the brown vs. board of education. Thirteen years after brown decision a final ruling was affirmed by the supreme court that the school were permanently enjoyed from denying admission of poor male orphans on the sole ground that they are not white provided that they were qualified for admission. The first African American student was eventually granted admission to the school in 1968.

How does desegregation in Girard College go with my NHD topic conflict and compromise? The desegregation in Girard College goes with conflict and compromise because the conflict was that Stephen Girard who was a wealthy man and in his will he said he wanted a school made for white boys who was from the age of sixteen to eighteen who were and orphan. He made it clear that the boys had to be white the compromise was that it took a long time for them to go through this long trial and finally and African American student was admitted.