Thomas Paine described the American Revolution as educative. However, as examined in Brian W. Dotts' The Political Education of Democratus: Negotiating Civic Virtue during the Early Republic, what was learned was neither standardized nor uniform. The Federalists, for example, viewed the revolution as a triumph for representative government, but one intended to maintain many remnants of the colonial experience. Anti-Federalists saw a confirmation of representative government at the state and local levels and considered the revolution as authenticating Montesquieu's theories of republicanism. A...

Thomas Jefferson's writings on morality have largely been ignored by scholars. His thoughts on the subject, never fully developed in any formal work, are said to be unsystematic--a judgment reinforced by his shift from Stoicism (where intentions are critical) to Utilitarianism (where consequences are critical) later in life. Yet his writings and the moral works he recommended reveal much about his moral sense and views on good living. Jefferson valued personal moral improvement, had great respect for moral exemplars and drew inspiration from moralists, sermonizers, novelists, poets,...

This book offers a comprehensive look at the philosophy and history of education, going beyond traditional educational foundations books.