Private Schools in the South Tried to Preserve Segregation and Christianity

One of the many twists and turns in Congress, Statehouses and communities to stave off the integration God was so much opposed to was private schools. The book I just finished was about South Carolina. When integration became the law and the federal government declared it would not be possible for communities to just go on as usual with separate schools for black and white children private schools popped all over South Carolina. Sometimes an angry group of white parents would announce a new school without preparation. They would open the doors and hustle up staff as the went along.

The publicly stated reason for the private schools was to improve education. Those local leaders with the experience to say the right thing would never say it was to avoid integration. The "family," they would say is so important their children need to study at family oriented schools.

Once in a while there was a candid remark by a person too young to be schooled in proper presentation of white Christian propaganda, "Niggers are dumb, can't learn, and when you have a majority of low standard in a school, they will pull the rest down. It's not a really a race issue, just a matter of lowering standards."

A state association of private schools that held prayers and taught God's intention to keep the races separate was formed in an effort to get public money. The often stated goal was to have good Christian instructions. The famous South Carolina Senator, Strong Thurman, said it well. He said the private and independent schools "are unabashedly Christian in outlook and daily practice," in spite of not being officially church related. 

Churches were often used in South Carolina to house all the pop up private schools. Many who wanted to preserve segregation were happy churches were the buildings of choice, "would be to sanction segregation in the name of God."

And, sanction segregation in the name of God apparently was done in these private schools across South Carolina. School board records, curriculum records, student recollections and news articles corrected by the author of The Bible Told Them So leave no doubt about the intentions.

These sorts of "shadow" maneuvers, knowing the requirements were for integration but finding way to subvert the law and make life miserable for black people, is not unlike what is going on today with abortion. Abortion is legal. But, states are doing "shadow" maneuvers like requiring useless steps in the abortion practice to raise its price. This is done to make life miserable to women, just as an earlier generation did to black people.

For all the talk of high moral principles, the political right of Christianity actually practices something we must call low moral principles.