How Did Thomas Jefferson Impact On Education

Thomas Jefferson’s work in the field of public has had a major impact on education as we know it today. Indeed, he has been described as the father of education. Jefferson has also been called “a great apostle of democracy.” James B Conant even wrote that Jefferson’s educational goal was “a more equitable distribution of opportunity for all the children of the land.” But I argue that it is important to consider Jefferson’s motives within a historical context, and not project our modern ideas of democracy upon him. Given the social norms at the time, Jefferson never could have envisioned an egalitarian system of education like the one seen today. Jefferson’s focus was not on creating a society that offered equality for everyone, as Conant

So, in response, he founded the University of Virginia to receive the top students from each county grammar school. UV continued the tradition of division and selection based on merit, it but was unique when compared to other colleges at the time. Jefferson was a life-long learner and he considered the amassing of knowledge to be a duty, so when he designed the academic program for UV, he took great care to create a well-rounded education for the men who attended. Jefferson believed strongly that the next generation to lead the republic had to be well rounded in their education. So, in addition to the usual coursework related to each chosen field, UV students would study humanities including classic and modern languages, a variety of sciences, philosophy, ethics, art, and law. In his continued effort to preserve his life’s work, the republic of the United States, Jefferson created one of the first American liberal arts

Any claims that he wanted to provide educational opportunity to all people are not considering the cultural realities of Jefferson as Revolution era Virginian. His goals had little to do with modern beliefs about an egalitarian society. In fact, his educational system elevated only the brightest, most hard-working, white, male students. His education bills perpetuated the disenfranchising of women and minorities. But, put into historical context, Jefferson’s ideas were not out of step with his peers in these regards. In, the 17th and 18th century, it was common belief that blacks were less intelligent than whites, that Native Americans were intelligent but savage, and that women should stay close to home. Jefferson’s objectives in calling for widespread public education were political. His system of education made sure that each citizen could participate in government in order to preserve the republic and to ensure that future state governments would be supplied with the smartest and most highly educated men to