Diffusion of Information and Knowledge: How Information Becomes Meaningful - Evolving Global Information Infrastructure and Information Transfer - page 105

The Role of Education
A nation's culture includes the history, music, language, literature, art, folklore,
and the values held dear by that society. The educational system in the United
States has its roots in Europe, dating back in time to ancient Greece and Rome.
Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle provided the intellectual foundation for the nation
and its educational theory. These classic ideas were studied in Europe through the
Middle Ages and during the time of the American Revolution, and its leaders were
schooled in classical studies that influenced the democratization of the new coun-
try. The United States Constitution reflects the changing values from monarchy and
authoritarianism to a government by and for the people, a democracy.
This determination to establish a democracy required a system of public edu-
cation that was a departure from the education of aristocratic men that had been
the dominant trend from antiquity until the 19th century. A democracy requires the
education of all members of a society, regardless of gender, socioeconomic status,
ethnic origin, or religious beliefs. This government for and by the people required a
new form of education.
Colonial Schools and Colleges
During the colonial period of the United States, public education was a mixed
bag of schools with some of the traits of the English school system that was differ-
entiated by class. Pulliam and Van Patten (2007, 109) note that in 1775, just before
the revolution, 37 newspapers were in circulation among the colonies, helping to
diffuse the culture. City, private, and college libraries throughout the colonies aided
this diffusion.
Several colleges were founded during the revolutionary period, including Har-
vard, William and Mary, Yale, and the College of New Jersey, founded between
1636 and 1746. King's College, the College of Philadelphia, the College of Rhode
Island, Queen's College, and Dartmouth were founded between 1750 and 1776.
Elementary schools before the revolution were scattered, and some towns had no
schools. Secondary academies and some private secondary schools were found
in larger towns during the decades before the revolution, but education for all chil-
dren was not part of the disorganized education systems of the colonies.
Schools in the New Nation
During the Revolutionary War, people's energies were directed away from edu-
cation, and illiteracy increased because rural schools and even schools in larger
towns were closed. Higher education was restricted, and topics were scarce be-