Category: The Historical Muse

Thoughts on history and the historical profession. Clio is the muse of history–this category title is a play on that concept.

The Kingdom of Congress

  

Let’s pause briefly for a recalibration of our thinking. We spend a lot of time contemplating what Congress is doing—new pieces of legislation, the strategies for passing them, etc. Stop and remember something: Congress was originally set up with very limited powers. The United States Constitution did not erect a tribunal that could legislate on any matter it deemed fit. In Article One, Section 4, we find the following wording: “The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year.”… Read more »

Dewey's Disciple

  

I’ve been commenting on the history of education on and off now for a couple of months. Recently, I’ve pointed out that John Dewey is considered the “Father of Progressive Education.” He had many disciples who put his ideas into practice. One of those was Marietta Pierce Johnson who started a school in Fairhope, Alabama, in 1907. She called it the Organic School. Here were her basic tenets: There were no achievement groupings for students Children were never be compared… Read more »

Educational Philosophy: Man as Animal

  

Meet Edward Thorndike, a follower of John Dewey, of whom I wrote a couple days ago. Thorndike also had a major influence on American education. His contribution was to take behaviorist psychology, which looked upon man as simply a higher form of animal, and apply it to his educational philosophy. He concluded that because man was just an animal, and not a unique creation made in the image of God, he should be treated as an animal. Rats were put… Read more »

The Dewey Factor (Part II)

  

Yesterday, I showed how John Dewey, the “Father of Progressive Education,” was one of the authors and signers of the Humanist Manifesto, a blatantly antichristian document. Today, let’s go a little further. Dewey’s educational philosophy can be summarized in four points, as follows: There is no such thing as an eternal truth. What happens when this is the starting point for education? You are left in a vacuum, morally and spiritually. Education should be child-centered. This sounds good. After all,… Read more »

The Dewey Factor (Part I)

  

Let’s take a break from purely political anaysis today. Instead, let’s look at one of the reasons we are where we are as a nation, and why some of our political problems exist. To do so, we need to recognize what has happened to our education system over the past 100+ years. We have to start with John Dewey, who has earned the title “Father of Progressive Education.” That “progressive” label is almost always poison. What were Dewey’s contributions to… Read more »

American History? Who Cares?

  

A proposal is being considered in North Carolina to change the history program in state high schools. Under this proposal, freshmen would no longer take world history, but would instead take “global studies,” which allows a lot of latitude in what can be included. Already we’re told that one of the “studies” to be emphasized will be environmentalism. You can be sure it won’t be a balanced approach. The change to American history comes in the junior year, when rather… Read more »

Principles & Character

  

Last night, I spoke to a group of Christian educators from all over the state of Florida, meeting in Orlando. The subject was the role of principles and character in American political history. My goal was to show when Christian character and Biblical principles came to the forefront of public policy and when they were ignored. Blessings flowed from the first; consequences from the latter. It was a survey from the time of Woodrow Wilson, who championed the false idea… Read more »