Senator Lister Hill of Alabama chaired the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, which was responsible for education legislation. He and Representative Carl A. Elliott, also of Alabama, authored the National Defense Education Act and were the driving forces behind its passage. Under this act, Congress greatly increased federal influence on public education.
Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives and Records Administration
S. 3187, National Defense Education Act, bill version, February 5, 1958
The National Defense Education Act
The Soviet Union’s successful 1957 launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, spurred Congress to pass the National Defense Education Act (NDEA) of 1958. Perceiving an urgent need to train Americans in science, technology, languages, and other essential skills for Cold War defense, Congress committed the federal government to an active role in education by providing seed money to states for curriculum development and student loans. The NDEA included a mandatory loyalty oath that evoked widespread protest; Congress renewed the act without the oath in 1964.
Senator Lister Hill of Alabama chaired the Senate Committee on Labor and Public Welfare, which was responsible for education legislation. He and Representative Carl A. Elliott, also of Alabama, authored the National Defense Education Act and were the driving forces behind its passage. Under this act, Congress greatly increased federal influence on public education.
Records of the U.S. Senate, National Archives and Records Administration
