The “clear intent” of the National Education Association has changed since the 19th century over what is considered reasonable payment and union benefits for an educator, as well what the NEA should influence Congress to pass on the federal level to advocate that education is a top priority of this country. Then finally, the NEA, like other organizations that try to lobby Congress on key issues, has had their own successes and failures in dealing with the influence the organization has towards Congress, and the laws Congress has either passed or opposed since the 19th century. This paper is about the growth of the National Education Association within America, the goals this certain organization has presented, the “clear intent” of the NEA within the United States as to what the organization wants for the future of education, and the successes and failures the NEA has faced in order to succeed in changing the educational system to favor the educators and …show more content…
From that one statement the organization grew, having millions of members, most of which are educators and staff members in Washington D.C., merged with other organizations such as the American Teachers Association and the American Federation of Teachers, and the organization’s push in ending racial/gender segregation within education that affected both students and educators within the 19th century. Staying with the context of how the National Education Association was born into American society is the importance towards the organization’s roots along with how the NEA became an important part in this country. The National Education Association started off as a different organization in 1857 under their founder, Thomas W. Valentine, who had similar goals for the education of this country as the NEA does today, and the equality of education and to increase the benefits for educators in the United States. The beginning of the NEA is described on the website Infoplease, where “the NEA was founded as the National Teachers Association, changed its name in 1857, and was charted by Congress in 1906. Today the NEA has 13