Former slaves’ children outperformed chiefs’ sons in French colonial schools
Evidence
It must be recognized, to the credit of the caste called “captives,” that its children rival in zeal, intelligence and work the sons of the old aristoc- racy. The “sons of chiefs” see them, not without jealousy, acquiring the highest marks in our classrooms. Such scholastic success is the best pos- sible incentive for [these sons of chiefs). This rivalry has in turn placed the schools in a positive light. Children and parents are now convinced that intelligence and knowledge alone create social superiority and that, in a future not too far away, only those who have profited from our in- struction in order to learn our civilization will be able to command the authority in native society that used to be the exclusive preserve of the aristocracy. — Alice L. Conklin, A Mission to Civilize_ The Republican…, 289
Categorization
Category: Factual Claims
- QUESTION: The claim that scholastic success would eventually supplant aristocracy assumes meritocracy displacing hereditary rule — worth probing how far that actually played out.