Pierce+Vs.+Society+of+Sisters

=Pierce Vs. Society of Sisters=

During the 1920's the United States was having a surge of immigration due to post World War I including the Spanish influenza, hyper inflation, and national war depts. In Oregon public and private schools were running normally do to American prosperity after the War. However, due to the surge of immigrants the U.S. was going through much anti immigrant sentiment from groups like the Ku Klux Klan. Oregon became a hotbed for this sentiment though it had a relatively low immigrant population. Anti immigrant sentiment lead to the passing of the Compulsory Education Law in 1922 which made it so that all students between eight and sixteen had to attend school and they were required to attend public school. This controversial bill bypassed state legislator and when straight to the ballot initiative do to Oregon law which lets citizens pass laws do to votes in general elections. Anti immigrant organizations felt that public school were necessary to help “Americanize” new immigrants. Private schools were thought to not be capable of “Americanizing” immigrants because they allowed the private spread of different ideas then public schools. The Compulsory Education Law caused the closing of all private schools in Oregon.

The Sisters of the Holy Names, who lost their catholic school to the Compulsory Education Law, challenged the law in the supreme court. Their claim was that the Compulsory Education Law broke the Fourteenth Amendment because the Law would force private schools to close and make the owners lose their property without due process. In 1924 the supreme court heard the case and injunction against the State of Oregon. They ordered that the law would not be implemented which allowed private schools in Oregon to reopen.

Pictures and Information found at: http://libraries.cua.edu/achrcua/osc/osc_intro.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierce_v._Society_of_Sisters