and black students going to different schools. the big question is can they get along together? something one word about our kids, i am not. seen kids like these in trouble, real trouble. it happened quite a few years ago over at fairgrounds park, just across the street. ♪ [tense music] ♪ ♪ [mournful music] narrator: of what we didn't know, we do not understand. that which we did not understand, it was feared. here, the beginning of hate. yet there was no reason to hate. st. louis was a quiet city. we all used the same library, the same parks and the same railroad station. public transportation. and what did we really share in common? these children did not know each other. they could get up in the morning and ride the same bus to school, but they were strangers. at only one natural meeting place, the public school, that was all they had. what goes through a child's mind when he learns that he is equal but separate. separate from the norm? and for the teacher of segregated classes, there were other problems. some classes are overcrowded. too many kids to teach. a few blocks away, there were classes that did not have enough students. all that we could -- oh, we could talk a lot about good citizenship. we could study the constitution, the declaration of independence. we could talk to our segregated classes about equality and the rights of man. but, what could we say that would bring children together? so, now we are integrated. 11 st. louis high schools, no problems. our school, one incident. at least, that is what the papers are calling it. one incident that would be the last or the first. the kids won't tell you, or can't. only one person really knows, and he is not talking. maybe he will listen. how are you, vincent? vincent? how are you? ♪ narrator: one angry boy can cause a lot of trouble. >> good morning. announcer: not even teachers know all the answers. and, special meetings aren't much help. and at least in st. louis, we did not walk into the segregation with our eyes closed. people in this town knew it was coming. our textbook committees met together and worked together. teachers who had been trained in similar teachers colleges taught similar courses. when they came together, they met as equals. white, and negro teachers in st. louis, met in human relations workshops and come meetings with their teachers associations, and other professional organizations. all this, before the supreme court decision. students in st. louis were meeting on their own to find out if integration could work. the youth had delegates from all over st. louis. >> i don't mean to say anything, but i have heard funny things. >> i live in a pretty fancy neighborhood and we had kids who broke into the school and wrecked it. narrator: when the supreme court ruled that segregation was illegal, these children were ready. and, the school administration was ready. schools could learn from the mistakes of the past, and plan for an orderly and gradual integration that was prepared months in advance. but school plans were only paper. the real decision was up to the community. support came from organized labor, the metropolitan church federation, the catholic church, the jewish community relations council. support for integration also came from some unorganized groups. each person in the community had his own reasons for supporting integration. some of us thought of the inefficiency of a segregated school system. two teachers'' colleges where one would be enough. some schools were empty because nobody could decide if this school could be white or colored. some thought of st. louis university, integrated to since 1949. lutheran and catholic parochial schools integrated since 1947. washington university, integrated since 1942. and some may have remembered the words of chief justice of the supreme court, earl warren, " to celebrate children solely because of their race, generates a feeling of inferiority as to their state in the community, that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone." narrator: "that may affect their hearts and minds in a way unlikely ever to be undone." but the biggest group and the community was yet to be heard from -- parents. had never met each other, never sat down in the same room together. but in the weeks before integration was to begin, they can together in school rooms and basements all over st. louis to talk about their children. >> no questions? don't tell me you don't have any? now, i think you all know why we are here this evening. the decision to desegregate st. louis avec schools has been made. it is going to depend on how we do the job in our own neighborhoods, as to how that decision will work out. that is why we are glad that your pta and your patrons alliances helped us to call you to this meeting this evening. we have some guest here. they do not like to be called experts -- to answer your questions. first, mr. bohannon of the urban league, dr. morris, chief psychologist of the board of education, and i am sure you all know mr. burns, our principal. and many of you also know our doctor. i am virgil. who has questions? announcer: the real questions are the ones that people do not like to talk about in public, but they come out in one way or another. >> i wonder about the health standards, and i wonder if we're going to have any problems. narrator: she is worried about communicable diseases. >> i would like to know what percentage of white and negro students will be going to our schools. narrator: he has heard that need grows are taking over neighborhoods. she has been told that negroes are less intelligent than whites. narrator: he is worried about intermarriage. >> i think i can answer the medical question. all students are required to take medical examinations, and we just don't let the sick ones in. i cannot give you the exact percentage of blacks and whites who will attend our school this year, if a student wants to attend the school, that will be permitted. but, there will not be any transfer students. new students have to attend school in their district. >> i have heard said that some people are not going to send their children to a mixed school. >> if you would like take your family and move them out of this district into an all-white district, you can do that. but the school district has rolled that the school in the district -- the students in that district will attend the school and that district. and i'm sure they will enforce that law. >> concerning the problem of standards, i would like to speak to the school psychologist. our division administers more than 100,000 tests on intelligence and achievement annually. the results of these tests show that both negro and why children make scores ranging from the lowest possible to the highest possible. >> so, you are worried because you think high school social functions might cause intermarriage. well, you need not be. the long experience of integrated public school education in american communities, there is often contention that integrated public school education is neither a lonely heart club nor a training ground for intermarriage. narrator: he still wants to know if these men want their children to marry into other races. >> may i add one thing here? it seems to me that the role in school is to educate the mind. and, the role of the home is to supervise morals. it has always been that way, and integration is not going to change it. narrator: the minority has a questions too. >> do you think all of the teachers will be able to understand so many different kinds of children? announcer: she wants to know is why teachers will be fair to new growth students -- to negro students. he has heard a rumor that white students are planning to beat up black boys were in school opens. >> i am a teacher at this school. we all have problems about desegregation, but does it not all come down to this? are we moving too quickly? should we wait? well, i guess i don't have a really good answer to that question. whether we are moving too quickly. all i want to say is, i have been a teacher for 12 years, and have been a pretty good disciplinarian, and i intend to go on keeping good discipline. that is not to say that we have not had our troubles, of course, kids would not be kids if they did not get into scrapes. that is just normal. but our job is to teach. to teach fairly, honestly and equally. that is what we're going to do. >> more brotherhood speeches? did you see the papers? they say you have a boy in the hospital. >> no, i don't have a boy in the hospital. >> we weren't ready for it. i could've told them. we should have waited a year or two. brotherhood. ♪ narrator: but, if we were really wrong, we should have found out last fall when we first integrated schools. we were ready then. we had detectives in uniform. the newspapers cooperating by avoiding scary headlines and by keeping their cameramen and their cameras out of sight. all of these preparations for the most natural site in the world, kids going to school -- the most natural sight in the world, kids going to school. no problem on the first day, no stories for the papers. now, the real problems began. an integrated class with the worst kind of segregation -- self segregation. what do you do? mix them up? seat them alphabetically? this is a class in problems in american government. we will be studying government on the local, state and national level. we will also be taking a look at the rules under which we govern ourselves in a democracy. narrator: the it takes some time for the teacher to forget whether he is talking to a white student or a colored student. they forget too. they become individuals. ♪ there is a hard worker. a bright one, but he lacks incentive. a dull. but each of them, an individual, to be worked with, stimulated and encouraged. but that was before our incident. ♪ narrator: our incident. he shoots his water pistol at another boy, and escorts -- and he shoots a negro girl instead. she tells her friends and a fight starts. a racial incident starts. the newspapers hold special meetings. where do we go from here? ♪ >> good luck. ♪ before we start today, i would like to say something about an incident. no. no. >> we will hold that for a bit and get on with regular class business. the business of committee report. tony, are you ready with your committee report? >> this is the committee on minutes of both government. the first report is a joint report on the board of aldermen. it will be presented by vincent. ♪ >> this is the report on the board of aldermen. it is a joint report prepared by tony and me. prepared by tony, and presented by me. there are 28 members on the board. they are elected by the voters of arc amenities for the purpose of running our city. the qualifications for such a position are as follows. the candidate must between five years of age and a resident of the district which he or she as of the case may be, is elected from. the advantage of the automatic system is that it gives equal representation to each person. ♪ narrator: a teacher's job is to teach, whether it be in st. louis or any other place. the test of integration is what happens in the classroom. my kids are going to pass that test. ♪ [music swelling] >> interested in american history tv? is it c-span.org/history. you can preview upcoming programs and watch college lectures, museum tours, archival films and more. american history tv at c-span.org/history. quest for nearly 20 years, they have the best-known nonfiction writers, conversations about their books. this year we are -- featuring best-selling fiction writers for our program index fiction addiction. join us at noon, eastern. his most recent book is the frozen ours, his other books include the final storm, to the last man, plus all the more novels which regard to military history of america from the american revolution to the korean war. we'll be taking your phone calls come tweet and facebook messages. this will be sunday, march 4. >> next, house and alton biographer and chairman of the museum discusses hamiltons ms. on the national debt and fiscal responsibility. he compares those used to the greater history of american economic policy. this talk was caused by the museum of american finance and alexander hamilton awareness society. it is an hour and 10 minutes. glass good afternoon everyone, welcome to the museum of american finance. our planet in today's event is the house hamilton awareness society which is a group you turn to for all things hamilton. we also want to thank and welcome john herzog who was the founder of this

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