Composition: History & Theory: 1700 - 1799
Growing National Identities
Description
- 1700: Plantation system established
- 1720s: Attempts to “anglicize” Germans in Pennsylvania
- 1769: Dartmouth College founded to assimilate American Indians
- 1776: Declaration of Independence and American Revolution
- 1790: Blair – Belletristic Forms (to 1860)
- 1790: Naturalization Act excluded Asians from naturalized citizenship
- 1700s: Debate regarding the purpose of education between T. Jefferson (fostering individualism) and Noah Webster (fostering institutional authority)
- 1700s: Jefferson and other “founding fathers” were influenced by Enlightenment and Rousseau
In The American School From the Puritans to No Child Left Behind (2008), Joel Spring notes that revolutionary leaders during this time were concerned about “stabilizing the political system and maintaining the loyalty of European Americans (46). In 1790, Spring notes that 80% of the population in the U.S. arrived to the country already speaking English while 75% of the population was Protestant and 16% of the population consisted of slaves. Leaders of the day questioned whether the U.S. could withstand being a multicultural society: “Most post-Revolutionary leaders rejected the idea of a multicultural society and advocated for the creation of a unified American culture. This new American culture would be formed around Protestant Anglo-Saxon traditions” (48). Leaders thought the best way to develop a unifying American culture was to use education to teach loyalty and patriotism, meaning “studying national literature and language, singing nationalistic songs, honoring the flag, and participating in patriotic exercises” (48). The main debate that rose out of this time period was over the purpose of education: whether its purpose was to mold individuals into good citizens or to provide individuals with tools to exercise their political beliefs. These opposing views of education were held by Thomas Jefferson and Noah Webster, respectively.
Thomas Jefferson believed in fostering individualism. He thought it was the individual’s responsibility to form his or her own beliefs: “all citizens should be educated to read and write so they could form their political opinions outside educational institutions” (49). Jefferson believed that school should be a “free marketplace of ideas” (49). He also believed that “education should provide the average citizen with the tools of reading and writing and political beliefs should be formed through exercise of reason” (55). He thought of reading history and newspapers as the best way of educating oneself. Jefferson believed in inherent common sense, which is why he didn’t think children had to be molded: “Individuals are born with reason and a moral sense, and education can improve the workings of these faculties and contribute to the increase of human knowledge” (55). Noah Webster, on the other hand, looked toward institutions for authority. He thought that there should be one institution responsible for shaping political ideas. He claimed that “educational institutions needed to teach basic principles of a republican form of government” (51). Webster standardized the American dictionary of the English language, spelling books, and an American version of the Bible (51). He wanted his textbooks to “produce good and patriotic Americans, develop an American language, and create a unified national spirit” (52). “Webster,” Spring writes, “believed that moral and political values had to be imposed on the child” (52). He defined virtue and morality within Protestant Christianity.
African Americans, it could be argued by some, were deculturalized and dominated through language during this time while the Creoles were rejected by their white European and black African ancestors. After the American Revolution, Spring notes that some states “required free African Americans to register with the state and local governments and wear shoulder patches reading “free” (196).
Date of Upload
3/13/09