Deteriorating Evolution

“Whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government (Thomas Jefferson).” If democracy is based upon each individual in society, who can think of what is good for society better for themselves, than themselves? Who can and will engage in debate and discussion on this topic? Colleges are places to edify such an individual in and through one’s education. It is, however, a tendency and a trend these days in general, that colleges are training places for technical know how that is valuable to society, i.e. computer tech, law enforcement, beauty salon, cooking, etc. This form of higher education is very utilitarian, which does serve a purpose and our country well, but does not include offering an environment for these students to think outside the box, that would have to be left to the individual. When TV commercials on technical colleges appear every other minute, one can easily understand the vocationalization of advanced education for future job opportunities to be a better citizen and not so much a critical thinker. In this essay, three topics are up for discussion: the school system and how it got started in the United States, a view of authoritarianism in the U.S. and how that has effected it’s school system and it’s inhabitants, and finally, the participation that is needed in politics and education by it’s citizens for democracy to fully serve it’s citizens.

In the mid to late 1800’s, after the civil war has ended, the country was in a period of reconstruction. Much was happening for the newly unionized citizens of the United States; some very beneficial and some very debauching for then and now. Most of the country was figuring out how to deal with each other and their differences. Slavery for

the blacks had just been revoked and blacks were fighting for equal opportunities to own land and to survive. Many were heading out west to make new opportunities for them and

their families; many Native American Indians were forced to uninhabit their environments due to this move. Much violence and “social darwinism,” took place

among societies of both the rural communities and newly urbanized peoples. Before and during this time, across the pond, England was knee deep in their Industrialization Revolution. This proved important for the world and especially America, for the Second Industrialization Revolution was born on U.S. soil soon after. The second movement demonstrated a more scientific advancement than the first process, and technologies and inventions were fertile for businesses and households. Thirty-six thousand patents were issued prior to the Civil War, but four hundred and forty-four thousand were granted during the next thirty years after. The telephone was invented by Alex Graham Bell, the light bulb by Thomas Edison, and so made way for the educational system to be created and put in place.

The money that came from industrialization gave the opportunity for an educational system that many have dreamed about. In the beginning of the twentieth century, more and more citizens moving to the cities and residing in close quarters produced a new fear of the uneducated stuffed together and it needed to be rectified, so it was decided to educate them! A plan was created to give all a universal background and foundation of reading, writing, and arithmetic. Thomas Jefferson said before this time of not only these basics but also that “their memories may here be stored with the most useful facts from Grecian, Roman, European, and American history; the first elements of

Mortality.” (Hirsch 17) Thomas Jefferson, being a great political philosopher of his time in office, believed much in education for the betterment of the country’s future and it holds as a strong idea for a foundation for democracy.

In building that foundation, one must view that a democracy thrives on the exchange of diverse opinions and ideas. Adherents to a democratic model must be willing to not only listen to and respect the views of others, but also inform themselves about the philosophies and histories behind those views. This may be the greatest challenge to democracy and its brother, education. “Crucial to such a challenge is the role that higher education can play in reclaiming the links between education and democracy, knowledge and public service, and learning and democratic social change.” (Giroux 63) Giroux argues here for protection of defending institutions that supply this kind of experience for the student and teacher. The importance of such learning environments is vital to gain back and persevere with our government, our freedoms.

The reality of the condition here is that the costs for an academic experience beyond high school are very expensive, not including the cost of books. This either puts college out of reach for working classes or puts them into such debt; it is hard for them to be choosy with their job options when finally obtaining their degree. One may be more forced to look for a position with money than with service in mind.

The dream of our founding fathers to protect the ideology of democracy and creating an opportunity of education for all Americans needs a safeguard. Who better to provide this effort than its citizens?

A definition of authoritarianism: “of or pertaining to a governmental or political system, principle, or practice in which individual freedom is held as completely subordinate to the power or authority of the state, centered either in one person or a small group that is not constitutionally accountable to the people.” (Oxford American Dictionary 35) In America today, our freedoms and rights are slowly being taken from us and told it is for our own good. National Security listening in on our conversations, a search warrant not needed for one’s property if there are only “suspected” illegal shenanigans, and our current administration going to war in opposition to the U.N. against a country that there is no clear reason to be at war with. Our school systems are not safe and have not been safe from this way of thinking people as children. As Phillip Slater says,

This is the reason why authoritarian educators call for “a return to basics,” and the elimination of “educational frills.” The “basics” are the basics of two centuries ago, the “frills” are attempts-some successful, some not- to involve students in the present and the future…The student is told how to write, how to spell, how to add and subtract, what to read and how to interpret