After slavery ended, Southern states created Black Codes to control and criminalize Black people. These lawsAfter slavery ended, Southern states
created Black Codes to control and criminalize Black people. These laws targeted everyday actions, like not having proof of employment. People arrested
under these laws were forced into labor through convict leasing. During the Jim Crow era, segregation and racial violence were reinforced by an unequal legal system. Black communities were over-policed and under-protected. These systems laid the\ foundation for mass incarceration in the modern era.
targeted everyday actions, like not having proof of employment. People arrested under these laws were forced into labor through convict leasing. During the Jim Crow era, segregation and racial violence were reinforced by an unequal legal system. Black communities were over-policed and under-protected. These systems laid the foundation for mass incarceration in the modern era.

Free College Tuition

How can we make college affordable for everyone? This simple question has been haunting people for years, and no one has come up with a way to reliably answer it. We have come up with an answer that may blow your mind: Make college free.

Many people are not able to pay for college, and as a result, they don’t have the qualifications to apply for jobs. Some businesses require certain degrees, and if people can’t get these degrees, those businesses will go out of business. This leads to stores closing and unemployment.

When people don’t have the money to pay for college, they apply for student loans, and many go into debt. This is a big problem, because about 42.7 million Americans are in debt. The total balance in money owed by American students is $1.6 trillion. If you aren’t able to pay back the student loans, it will be reported to national credit reporting agencies. This can damage your credit ratings and future borrowing ability, and the government can collect these loans by taking funds from your wages, tax refunds, and other government payments.

You may say that they should just apply for a scholarship. This is a good idea, but if you're applying to UCLA, only about 0.1% of students that apply for a full-ride scholarship get it. A slightly larger percentage of people get a scholarship of $25,000 at just 0.2%, while 97% of applicants that apply for a scholarship get $2,500. UCLA is the most applied to college in the US, and has an acceptance rate of just 9%. This proves that applying for a scholarship may not be an ideal choice when applying to a good college.

Another option for a lot of students would be to apply for financial aid. Many students already apply for financial aid, but less than 50% are accepted. For example, UCLA only accepts 46% of students that apply for financial aid, while NYU accepts 29%. Although students do apply for financial aid, they still may not be able to afford the rest of their college tuition, which may lead to them dropping out later.

To sum up all that has been stated, college should be made free. This is because many students come out of college with tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Also, many people don’t get accepted to scholarships, as the overall acceptance rate is roughly 12.5%. This means that only 1 out of 8 people are likely to receive a scholarship. Additionally, people that apply to financial aid might not be able to afford the rest of their tuition, as it still may be too expensive. This proves that the US has an ongoing problem of students not being able to afford college tuition.