Who Killed the Horse?: Part 1

(Excerpt  from Stop Beating the Dead Horse)


In the beginning, Mann patterned his design for a public education system after the 18th century Prussian (German) model which divided students by age and required compulsory attendance, national training for teachers, national testing for all students (to classify students for potential job training), a national curriculum, and mandatory kindergarten. These components were created to instill social obedience in the citizens through indoctrination.

In the United States, many proponents of a compulsory public education system had similar ideas for the purpose of such a system. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and ardent supporter of publicly funded schools, wrote,

“Our schools of learning, by producing one general and uniform system of education, will render the mass of the people more homogeneous and thereby fit them more easily for uniform and peaceable government…Let our pupil be taught that he does not belong to himself, but that he is public property…The authority of our masters [should] be as absolute as possible…By this mode of education, we prepare our youth for the subordination of laws and thereby qualify them for becoming good citizens of the republic.”

William T. Harris, U.S. Commissioner of Education in 1889, said,

“Our schools have been scientifically designed to prevent over-education from happening. The average American [should be] content with their humble role in life, because they're not tempted to think about any other role.”