In 1831, Alexis de Tocqueville, the famous French historian, came to America to study our nation. Europeans and others were fascinated by the success of the fledgling nation, then barely 50 years old and already competing on the world stage. Such a thing had never before occurred, and Tocqueville was determined to discover the secret. He was duly impressed by our governmental structure, including the separation of powers, but he was in awe of the public educational system, which rendered its recipients completely literate by the completion of second grade. This depth of education was generally only found among the aristocracy in Europe. Let’s put aside the diversionary arguments about lack of educational access for all, which was a huge mistake, and concentrate on the tremendous advantage afforded our predecessors by education. Early settlers not only mastered reading, writing and arithmetic, but shared practical skills, all of which enabled them to traverse and tame a rugged and frequently hostile terrain from sea to shining sea. As isolated communities sprang up throughout the nation, they were able to thrive through innovation, industry and compassion. The “can-do” attitude involved hard labor, but also included a sense of responsibility for those, who through injury or other hardships, could no longer care for themselves. The spirit of caring, although diminished, remains an important part of who we are today.
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 04:10:40 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015