Thomas Jefferson - Essay Example

The purpose of education is to enlighten and promote inquiry. Religion has an antithetical purpose. It closes the mind, discourages inquiry and promotes dogmatism. As Jefferson writes, the churchmen who taught him betrayed a deeper interest in "how many angels could dance on the head of a pin" while they should have taught their students "how to make that pin work better for mankind." The implication here is that religion in the classroom and churchmen as teachers will not promote investigative inquiry and may stifle students' natural curiosity.

Jefferson advocates a practical approach to education, one which will teach students that which they need for their own intellectual maturation and that which the nation itself requires for its development and advancement. With that objective in mind, Jefferson first proposes "general diffusion of knowledge," as in the provision of public education to all citizens. Within the context of public education, the subjects which should be taught are reading, writing, arithmetic and history. Beyond the parameters of a curriculum whose goal is the promotion of numerical and linguistic literacy, Jefferson proposes that the more advanced, the more talented of the students receive a higher education at the expense of the taxpayers.

The subjects which should be taught should be reflective of enlightenment and reason. These subjects are "anatomy, medicine, modern languages, and science." The selection of these subjects is predicated on Jefferson's belief that they promote practical and useful knowledge. Opposed to the "tyranny of the traditional curriculum," Jefferson's education plan revolves around three core objectives. The first is the propagation of knowledge for the purposes of developing a literate, knowledgeable populace who is capable of constructively contributing to the nation's growth and advancement.

The second is a more intensive and focused period of higher education, provided at the taxpayers' expense, to those who have displayed intellectual talent and who have the potential to constructively contribute to national advancement. The subjects that these students will be taught are practical, useful and determined by their inclinations. The third core principle upon which Jefferson's education plan is founded is the exclusion of religion from educational system in response to the "tyranny of religious dogma" and the extent to which it functions as an obstacle to the promotion of investigative inquiry, knowledge and critical thinking.

It need be noted that despite the fact that Jefferson's own educational experience left much to be desired, his education was typical of his peers. At first, he was educated by his father and taught basic literacy and survival skills. Following that, he was educated in a family schoolhouse by both secular and teachers and churchmen. At this point, his education was traditional and focused on the classics. As he explains, fear was the primary motivator in his education; fear of being beaten by his teacher.

Added to that, from Jefferson's perspective, his education, while typical of that of his contemporaries, was impractical. In commentary upon the stated, one may affirm the validity of Jefferson's evaluation of the educational system of his time. Besides diffusing knowledge, education is supposed to broaden the mind and contribute to the development