A year later, the law was challenged in court, and the case eventually made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. On June 1, 1925, the court ruled unanimously that the Oregon law was unconstitutional. In their ruling, the justices wrote:
The fundamental theory of liberty upon which all governments in this Union repose excludes any general power of the state to standardize its children by forcing them to accept instruction from public teachers only. The child is not the mere creature ofthe state; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right coupled with the high duty to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations.
In this ruling, the Court said that parents have the right to choose how their children should be educated, and that individual freedom is more important than government-imposed conformity. Nearly 500 newspaper editorials were published in 44 states applauding the High Court’s ruling.
Some people believe the ruling influenced the wording of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, which says, in part, “Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.”
Possible Discussion Questions
What does Pete mean when he tells Carl that if Adam is guilty, it’s not because he’s a Catholic?
Why was the rosary that Carl carried evidence he was a Catholic?
Why was Adam guilty?
Do you think Adam did bad things because he began to believe immigrants and Catholics were bad?
If he began to believe those things, did it justify doing bad things?
How did the newspaper reporter Vincent Briggs help Carl?
What did Vincent Briggs mean when he told Carl he didn’t help anybody except the truth?
Why is it important for reporters to uncover the truth?
How did Carl’s Uncle Pete show that he loved his nephews?
Why do you think the people of Oregon passed the School Law? At the time, might it have been the right thing to do?
What do you think the U.S. Supreme Court meant when it said “the child is not the mere creature of the State”?
Acknowledgements
As a former education reform activist, I offer my appreciation to all who work in that field, trying to ensure that every child has access to a high quality education, wherever it might be offered.
My sincere thanks also go to the members of the Dorothy L mystery readers and writers group, some of whom helped with information about Portland and its history, and all of whom provide a wonderful forum for mystery aficionados.
Thanks, too, to my sister-in-law, Leslie Lebl, for her encouragement and help with Polish phrases, and to all of my family for their continued support of my writing career.
Finally, a heartfelt thanks to editors Bruce Bortz and Harrison Demchick, who helped me uncover Carl’s true character, and whose faith in this story ensures it will be told.
About the Author
Libby Sternberg’s first young adult novel, Uncovering Sadie’s Secrets, was a finalist for the prestigious Edgar Allan Poe award from the Mystery Writers of America. The second in that mystery series,Finding the Forger, was released in hardcover in November 2004 (both were published as mass-market paperbacks by Smooch) and a third will be released in 2008. Her debut adult novel, Loves Me, Loves Me Not (published under the name Libby Malin) was released in 2005 to critical acclaim.
A Baltimore native, Libby earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music and also attended the summer American School of Music in Fontainebleau, France.
After graduating from Peabody, she worked as a Spanish gypsy, a Russian courtier, a Middle-Eastern slave, a Japanese geisha, a Chinese peasant, and a French courtesan—that is, she sang as a union chorister in both the Baltimore and Washington Operas, where she regularly had the thrill of walking through the stage doors of the Kennedy Center Opera House in Washington, D.C. before being costumed and wigged for performance. She also sang with small opera and choral companies in the region.
For many years, she and her family lived in Vermont, where she worked as an education reform advocate promoting school choice policies, contributed occasional commentaries for Vermont Public Radio, and was a member of the Vermont Commission on Women.
She is married, with three children, and now resides in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
PRAISE FOR
The Case Against My Brother
“A riveting story of faith and betrayal against a background of bigotry. Touching and inspiring.”—CAROLYN HART, MYSTERY NOVELIST WIDELY HAILED AS AMERICA’S HEIR TO AGATHA CHRISTIE
“I will admit to a weakness for well-written young adult mysteries, but have rarely found one I consider superior. The Case Against My Brother is that very rare exception. . . I highly recommend it—to anyone of any age.”—SARAH BEWLEY, AWARD-WINNING PLAYWRIGHT AND SCREENWRITER
“As a Catholic who grew up in an older city neighborhood of mainly eastern Europeans, I found this terrific book to be both touching and highly informative.”—MARY SUNDAY, LIBRARIAN, THE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL OF BALTIMORE
“Illuminating a dark corner of American history too often forgotten, it vividly portrays how religious and ethnic intolerance can poison a community and ruin lives. . . Today’s children, I hope, will read this book and learn that intolerance wears many disguises, including nationalism.”—PAULA ABRAMS, PROFESSOR, LEWIS & CLARK LAW SCHOOL, WHO’S PUBLISHED A LAW REVIEW ARTICLE, AND IS WRITING A BOOK, ON THE OREGON SCHOOL CASE
“A powerful reflection on the times and the plight of poor immigrants. . . An especially well-written book with wonderful characters and suspenseful plot.”—DIANE RAVITCH, SENIOR FELLOW AT THE HOOVER AND BROOKINGS INSTITUTIONS; FORMER U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF EDUCATION; AUTHOR OF NUMEROUS BOOKS ON EDUCATION; AND HONORARY LIFE TRUSTEE OF THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY
“Deals with a slice of history that few Americans know about, yet whose ramifications continue to haunt us today. The lively writing and vivid characters make history come alive.”—CLINT BOLICK, PRESIDENT AND GENERAL COUNSEL OF THE ALLIANCE FOR SCHOOL CHOICE, AND AUTHOR OF NICKI’S GIRL
“A fine, fast-paced mystery for young teens. Pop out and buy a copy for your eighth grade friends and relatives. You’ll be glad you did, and so will they.”—KAY MUTHER, HISTORICAL NOVELIST, AND RETIRED TEACHER, LIBRARIAN, AND SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR
“Being of Polish ancestry and an Oregonian, I found the paranoia of that time eerily similar to today’s attitude toward the ‘immigration question.’. . . The book also echoes how today’s Americanized youth struggle to reconcile their ethnicity with the unforgiving pace of mainstream culture. . . I look forward to discussing with my students the issues this fascinating book raises.”—JENNY GAPP, LIBRARY MEDIA TEACHER, CASCADE JUNIOR HIGH, TURNER, OR
“An important and entertaining book for both teens and adults.”—DAN LIPS, EDUCATION ANALYST, THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION
“Highly recommended, especially for anyone who likes their mysteries with an historical touch.” —JODY CROCKER, LIBRARY ASSISTANT, KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
“Gripping and absorbing.”—THERESA DE VALENCE, MYSTERY REVIEWER, POINT RICHMOND, CA
“The Polish American characters are well-drawn, without the gaffs over language and culture that occur so often when outsiders write about an ethnic group, and the sub-plot of anti-Catholicism and prejudice against Poles in America makes important points about America’s historical nativism—about which many young readers will no doubt be learning for the first time—without turning the book into a tract. A compelling mystery and a classic coming-of-age story, it is entertaining, enlightening, and important.”—KAREN MAJEWSKI, PH.D., EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, POLISH AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION
ends
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