Project Editor: Bradley Earley, History 470: Digital History, Spring 2008

Integration History

According to the original charter of the University of Nebraska, in section 18, it states, "no student shall be barred admittance because of age, sex, color, or nationality." (Section 18) From the beginning of the program's history, African-American players were allowed to attend the university and participate in team sports. Many schools that the University played had no problem with the participation of Ross.

Kansas had played against Ross the two previous years without protest, so why was there an issue with Ross' participation in 1913? To answer this question one must look for evidence regarding the Kansas protest. Coach Lowman was protesting Ross' play because of the protest or refusal to play by Missouri in earlier years. Nebraska and Missouri had discontinued their rivalry because of the participation of an African-American on the football team. To Missouri, a southern institution, this was against their beliefs where it pertained to white and black interaction. The segregationist ideas were strong in Missouri and their refusal to play led to Nebraska and Missouri ending their play against one another. Not only was it stated that no student be barred entrance into the University because of color, but the Athletic Board, when it was established, said nothing about keeping a student from participating in intercollegiate sports because of their color (Section 18,Eligibility).

This is yet another example of the desegregationist thoughts that were running throughout the University from its original establishment. Looking into the attitudes of the students and the people of Lincoln in 1913 is critical to understanding the liberal history of the University. In 1913 there were about 13,242 African-Americans out of a population of 54,948 in Lincoln (according to the 1920 census). The number of those between the ages of 16-20 who were enrolled in school was 69. So you can see that the majority of the African-American population was uneducated. This was not because of any type of segregation, but because of the necessity to help support one's family. This was because most of Nebraska was rural and not urban. This would also be the reason for the low attendance numbers of African-Americans in Lincoln schools.