The Common School Movement's History

Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and others among the initiation fathers spoke out in favor of a wider approachability of education; although they were minority voices in their time, they were leaders in a growing trend toward social democracy. As Daniel Lazare points out, "The most important thing to understand is the eighteenth century's role as the abundant transitional period . . . dominated by fierce logical argument over the nature of political power." Jefferson, in fact, pointed out the little role of education in a democracy. In a letter to George Wythe, he wrote:

Preach, my dear Sir, a crusade against ignorance and alter the law for educating the common people. Let our countrymen know that the people solo can protect us against these evils, and that the tax which will be paid for this purpose is not more than the thousandth fork of what will be paid to kings, priests and nobles who will rise up among us if we leave the people in ignorance.

Opponents argued that develop taxes should be levelled only against those who would directly benefit from state-run educational programs. Paine, in The Rights of Man, argued "to describe the remission of taxes to every poor family out of the surplus taxes . . . interdict the parents of such

Lazare, Daniel. "Your Constitution Is sidesplitting You: A Reconsideration of the Right to Bear Arms," Harper's Magazine, October, 1999, 57-65.

Dewey, John. Lectures in the school of thought of Education: 1899. New York: Random House, 1966.

When Mann began his campaign, Martin Van Buren, a conspicuous Whig, had just been elected the 8th president of the United States. The Whig caller was brand-new, a powerful response to what many a(prenominal) saw as a somewhat elitist political climate. Van Buren himself, however, was soon perceive as being out of touch with the common man, and he lost the election of 1840 to the more populist candidate, William Henry Harrison.

such education was also seen by some as a means of social control: by providing the diverse human race with a common educational background, the schools would help produce a homogenous society. As Gutek writes, "The word 'common' expressed the concept of a community institution based on shared thoughts, experiences, beliefs, aspirations, and values." For this reason, Mann and many of his more liberal supporters worked to create sectarian institutions, schools not associated with church servicees or other religious groups. They argued that the common elements of the educational system they were load-bearing(a) should maintain the American ideal of an entirely separate church and state.

Botstein, Leon. Jefferson's Children: Education and the Promise of American Culture. New York: Doubleday, 1997.

Mann, in promoting the idea of common schools, was not arguing for a particular educational technique. In the mid-1800s, not enough study had been completed to comparing differing educational approaches. Instead, he campaigned for the idea of education, regardless of the methods used. According to Reginald D. Archambault, Dewey believed, "The school is not to become a microcosm of society, but should provide a purified, simplified, artificially balanced environment that will insure a healthy atmosphere for growth." Numerous
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