According to Chapter 3, my understanding is that a variety of topics are touched; from multiculturalism, to nationalism, to the role of education. Chapter 3 explains multiculturalism as how the educational system was developed to teach immigrants about the American culture. I consider this part of education to be very important. This is significant since immigrants are attending school in a different country and need to learn things such as language, customs and American tradition in order to be a part of the society that they now live in.
Nationalism was another part of Chapter 3, Webster focused on patriotism at schools. He also created the uniformed version of the American language through spelling books and the dictionary which formed the English speaking and Anglo American culture that we have today at our schools. Webster focused on patriotic lifestyles through teaching in a systematic way after the Revolutionary War. He hoped for a uniformity that was so defined that every American baby’s first word was to be “Washington.” On the other hand, Jefferson who believed in freedom and exercise of reason wanted schools to teach moral value in addition to what students learned at home. In Jefferson’s plans, students would be able to think and criticize freely in unique and individual ways.
Another very important and interesting point in this chapter was the topic of charity schools. Rich people decided to aid poor children who were out in the street by putting them in charity schools. In my opinion, these schools were very important for the children. This provided the underprivileged with a way that they could at least have an opportunity of learning and improving their lives and statuses, since most schools in this period were private. In my opinion, another benefit of the charity schools is that they could improve the overall economy since there would be more educated people and less misery out on the streets.
What is American culture? How can immigrants who are not in school and older can learn about the American culture?
