Deteriorating EvolutionEssay title: 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the blacks had just been revoked and blacks were fighting for equal opportunities to own land and to survive.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 Industrial revolution is often compared to the first World War because of the fact that many of those who benefited from it used the technology to improve the lives of many others. It was not the result of technological progress, however, because as a result of war the industry was the first line on the front lines. The Industrial Revolution and the Civil War were not as important to each other as they were to society itself. They did not have to be fought in large numbers and the result was more cooperation, productivity and economic prosperity. This was not something which the British Empire did as much, except to protect its colonies and the great landowning powers which controlled them. It was the opposite of what the American Empire did. And that must have worked for a while in a variety of ways. One of the most important of these was cooperation. By sharing the industrial process and, so to speak, “reputational” knowledge (and, a very important thing, as technology progressed) people were able to do more productive things, they were also able to use these technologies to develop, develop and improve their own lives. At that time, even though they were largely enslaved to technology, the “slave demand” was not a concern of the British Empire. This was the point at which innovation began to prevail in the industrial world that the British Empire was engaged in. The United States was not merely a “free market.” The very fact that the British Union of South America (USS) enjoyed an even greater foothold in European and American political institutions made the process of establishing British rule far more important. The idea of a Union of American Exceptionalists (USE) was not just the American ideals of democracy with institutions and a system of rule. It was the ideals of government, including government of “the poor or the powerless,” and that of government of “the common man,” which had worked very well for them. Not only did the American republic fall and the two world empires collapse, but all of the colonies and world empires that had not yet been established collapsed and many of the nations that had already been established collapsed. With just a couple of exceptions like China and Burma, the United States was far more powerful and much more integrated into the world. The Union of American States did not have more than one major system of government, it was much more unified like the European Union in its approach to national unification. In short, it was the United States that was the first great power to achieve peace with the other great power and finally to end World War II and the conflict the British Empire held it to end.
The English people were aware the United States was far from invincible. In 1817 Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to John Quincy Adams in which he wrote:
“If these [the British Colonies] have continued in good form throughout all this century and can not be completely destroyed, we certainly may be sure of no lasting peace in America. You may have heard of them. You may not have heard of them. You may not have seen them. How often has this happened during the last two centuries? Many times.” “My friends, in our political intercourse, we shall endeavour with all our
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