Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of racism.

Thomas Jefferson was one of the most intelligent US presidents—and one of the most intelligent people of his time. His most important work, Notes on the State of Virginia, deeply influenced education in the United States. However, Jefferson did extreme damage to perceptions of Black and Indigenous peoples, which have continued throughout history. He wrote shockingly disparaging words about Black people, comparing them to animals and to farm improvements. As secretary of state in George Washington’s cabinet, Jefferson promoted the Doctrine of Discovery, which laid the groundwork for the theory of Manifest Destiny. Jefferson argued that the United States had the right to Indigenous peoples’ land, characterizing them as “savages.” In Notes, Jefferson argues that education is a key component to accomplishing the land grab, as Indigenous people should either learn to be Christian, or be forcibly removed. 

Schools have erased Indigenous identities by indoctrinating students with the truth that white society wants to exist. For example, land surveyors Meriwether Lewis and William Clark are often portrayed as explorer heroes, and Sacagawea as a “good Indian” who helped them. This depiction creates a “settler colonial fantasy” (31) of colonized people aiding their colonizers and subsequently erasing their own identity.