her early life, where she learned English and American culture. Joseph and Mary Tape met at Mary's home Ladies' Protection and Relief Society and married in 1875. They had four children: Mamie, Frank, Emily, and Gertrude. Joseph Tape was a businessman and an interpreter for the Chinese consulate, while Mary Tape was an amateur photographer and artist. They lived as a prosperous middle-class family and settled in the Cow Hollow neighborhood of San Francisco, a predominantly white community. Before the court In 1880, the California state legislature passed the Political Code, which prevented school districts from refusing admission of non-white students. Despite the existence of the state law, many Chinese children were denied entry to public school. In 1884, Mamie, then eight years old, was denied admission to the Spring Valley School because of her Chinese ancestry. Her father, Joseph Tape, immediately contacted the Chinese consulate for help. Together with the Chinese vice-consul, Frederick Bee, Joseph Tape wrote a letter to Superintendent Andrew Moulder, expressing that the denying of admission violates the constitution of the United States, given that Mamie Tape is a native-born citizen of the United States. However, the San Francisco Board of Education and Superintendent Andrew Moulder insisted that they conformed with relevant laws. Superintendent Andrew Moulder further gained support from State superintendent William Welcher. In response, the Tape family provided medical documents proving that Mamie Tape had a clean bill of health, but the school board did not alter their argument. Joseph Tape and Mary Tape then sued the San Francisco Board of Education for refusing to allow their American-born children to enter the public school in a white neighborhood. They argued that the school board's decision was a violation of the California Political Code, which stated: Every school, unless otherwise provided by law, must be open for the admission of all children between six and twenty-one years of age residing in the district; and the board of trustees, or city board of education, have power to admit adults and children not residing in the district, whenever good reasons exist therefor. Trustees shall have the power to exclude children of filthy or vicious habits, or children suffering from contagious or infectious diseases.The defendant in the lawsuit was school principal Miss Jennie M.A. Hurley. The San Francisco Board of Education supported Miss Hurley as they believed that she fulfilled her school principal duties. Opinion of the court