The Push to Abolish Education Department Goes Back Decades

In 1866, Ohio congressman and future president James Garfield championed the creation of a federal Department of Education to address high illiteracy levels among former slaves and an influx of European immigrants. As part of the post-Civil War Reconstruction effort, Confederate states were required to guarantee education for all in their rewritten constitutions. The new federal agency would monitor and enforce compliance, notes a brief history of the Department of Education published by the Conference Board think tank. Garfield’s efforts led to President Andrew Johnson’s creation of the Department of Education in 1867.  However, representatives from both northern and southern states complained about the federal government having control over local schools. They downgraded the agency to the Office of Education after just one year and placed it within the Department of the Interior....