In August 1978, the IRS proposes new rules tightening tax-exempt status requirements for private elementary and secondary schools under IRC 501(c)(3) and begins holding hearings to determine whether segregated Christian academies should be eligible for tax exemption. The announcement triggers the …
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)Paul WeyrichRichard ViguerieBob Jones UniversityChristian academiesirs-policyreligious-right-foundingpaul-weyrichsegregation-academiesconservative-mobilization
Following a 1969 Mississippi-based lawsuit against the IRS in which federal courts issue a preliminary injunction denying tax exemption to private schools that are segregated by race, the IRS adopts a non-discrimination policy applying to private schools on July 10, 1970. The policy, though it takes …
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)Federal courtsCivil rights organizationsBob Jones Universityirs-policysegregation-academiestax-exemptioncivil-rights-enforcementreligious-right-origins
Between 1964 and 1975, as public schools in the Deep South begin to slowly desegregate through federal court orders, at least half a million white students are withdrawn from public schools nationwide to avoid mandatory desegregation. Private school enrollment across the South increases by more than …
White Citizens' CouncilsSouthern state legislaturesJerry Falwell Sr.Private school founderssegregation-academieswhite-flightprivate-school-subsidiesreligious-right-originspublic-education-undermining
In June 1959, the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors votes not to appropriate any money to operate public schools, choosing to close all public schools rather than comply with federal desegregation orders. The public schools in Prince Edward County remain closed from 1959 to 1964—the only …
Prince Edward County Board of SupervisorsPrince Edward County School BoardVirginia political establishmentmassive-resistanceschool-closureprince-edward-countysegregation-academieseducational-denial