The founders of the Republic viewed their revolution

Question

The founders of the Republic viewed their revolution primarily in political rather than economic or social terms. And they talked about education as essential to the public goodâ€”a goal that took precedence over knowledge as occupational training or as a means to self-fulfillment or self-improvement. Over and over again the Revolutionary generation, both liberal and conservative in outlook, asserted its conviction that the welfare of the Republic rested upon an educated citizenry and that schools, especially free public schools, would be the best means of educating the citizenry in civic values and the obligations required of everyone in a democratic republican society. All agreed that the principal ingredients of a civic education were literacy and the inculcation of patriotic and moral virtues, some others adding the study of history and the study of principles of the republican government itself.

The founders, as was the case of almost all their successors, were long on exhortation and rhetoric regarding the value of civic education, but they left it to the textbook writers to distill the essence of those values for school children. Texts in American history and government appeared as early as the 1790s. The textbook writers turned out to be very largely of conservative persuasion, more likely Federalist in outlook than Jeffersonian, and almost universally agreed that political virtue must rest upon moral and religious precepts. Since most textbook writers were New Englander, this meant that the texts were infused with Protestant and, above all, Puritan outlooks.

In the first half of the Republic, civic education in the schools emphasized the inculcation of civic values and made little attempt to develop participatory political skills. That was a task left to incipient political parties, town meetings, churches and the coffee or ale houses where men gathered for conversation. Additionally as a reading of certain Federalist papers of the period would demonstrate, the press probably did more to disseminate realistic as well as partisan knowledge of government than the schools. The goal of education, however, was to achieve a higher form of unum for the new Republic. In the middle half of the nineteenth century, the political values taught in the public and private schools did not change substantially from those celebrated in the first fifty years of the Republic. In the textbooks of the day their rosy hues if anything became golden. To the resplendent values of liberty, equality, and a benevolent Christian morality were now added the middle-class virtues-especially of New England-of hard work, honesty and integrity, the rewards of individual effort, and obedience to parents and legitimate authority. But of all the political values taught in school, patriotism was preeminent; and whenever teachers explained to school children why they should love their country above all else, the idea of liberty assumed pride of place.

(1)The passage deals primarily with the
(A) content of early textbooks on American history and government
(B) role of education in late eighteenth-and early to mid-nineteenth-century America
(C) influence of New England Puritanism on early American values
(D) origin and development of the Protestant work ethic in modern America
(E) establishment of universal free public education in America

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2The author states that textbooks written in the middle part of the nineteenth century

(A) departed radically in tone and style from earlier textbooks
(B) mentioned for the first time the value of liberty
(C) treated traditional civic virtues with even greater reverence
(D) were commissioned by government agencies
(E) contained no reference to conservative ideas

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3Which of the following would LEAST likely have been the subject of an early American textbook?

(A) basic rules of English grammar
(B) the American Revolution
(C) patriotism and other civic virtues
(D) vocational education
(E) principles of American government

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4 The passage provides information that would be helpful in answering which of the following questions?

(A) Why were a disproportionate share of early American textbooks written by New England authors?
(B) Was the Federalist party primarily a liberal or conservative force in early American politics?
(C) How many years of education did the founders believe were sufficient to instruct young citizens in civic virtue?
(D) What were that names of some of the Puritan authors who wrote early American textbooks?
(E) Did most citizens of the early Republic agree with the founders that public education was essential to the welfare of the Republic?

MA · Answer

I have changed answers as under:

1.B
2.C
3.D
4.B

chunjuwu · Answer

Hello, could you offer your thought? I took a lot of effort posting this passage. Hope you offer your explanation. Thank you very much :lol:

mbamantra · Answer

hi

I got all Bs for these question. i was bombed on this RC, i have OAs but i m not convinced with them.

1. B

The author talks abt education in first para, and i think he is talking about education as whole using content of the text book.

2. B

"...To the resplendent values of liberty, equality, and a benevolent Christian morality  were now added  the middle-class virtues-especially ...."

explains B.


3. B

"...The textbook writers turned out to be very largely of  conservative  persuasion,....."

"....But of all the political values taught in school,  patriotism  was preeminent; and whenever teachers explained to school children why they  should love their country  above all else....."


doesn't look they will write abt "revolution".

4. B


".... The textbook writers turned out to be very largely of  conservative  persuasion, more likely  Federalist  in outlook than Jeffersonian, ...."


explains B.

prep_gmat · Answer

BCDB

The passage is about the role of education in shaping the american civil society and especially the vision/perception of the founders and the subsequent politicians in the late 18th and first of half of 19th. Author also discusses the role of text books and its content. In the last paragraph talks about political values thought in schools and through other means in the middle half of the 19th century.

(1)The passage deals primarily with the 
(B) role of education in late eighteenth-and early to mid-nineteenth-century America 

Other choices are out of context and too narrow.

2The author states that textbooks written in the middle part of the nineteenth century

(C) treated traditional civic virtues with even greater reverence 

"To the resplendent values of liberty, equality, and a benevolent Christian morality were now  added the middle-class virtues "

3Which of the following would LEAST likely have been the subject of an early American textbook?

D) vocational education 

" goal that took precedence over knowledge as  occupational training  or as a means to self-fulfillment or self-improvement"

In the period under context, the founders placed emphasis on education over vocational or occupation experience and the textbook writers alignment with the politicians makes it likely that the textbook hardly contained vocational educational material.

4 The passage provides information that would be helpful in answering which of the following questions?

(B) Was the Federalist party primarily a liberal or conservative force in early American politics?

This follows from "The textbook writers turned out to be very largely of  conservative  persuasion, more  likely Federalist  in outlook than Jeffersonian"

MA · Answer

I am just pointing from where we can get answers, if they are correct. Guys, do correct, if any..

 

(1) The passage deals primarily with the   (B) role of education in late eighteenth-and early to mid-nineteenth-century America  

Over and over again  the Revolutionary generation,  both liberal and conservative in outlook,  asserted its conviction that the welfare of the Republic rested upon an educated citizenry and that schools, especially free public schools, would be the best means of educating the citizenry in civic values and the obligations required of everyone in a democratic republican society . 

(2) The author states that textbooks written in the middle part of the nineteenth century  (C) treated traditional civic virtues with even greater reverence  

To the resplendent values of liberty,  equality, and a benevolent Christian morality were now added the middle-class virtues-especially of New England-of hard work, honesty and integrity, the rewards of individual effort, and obedience to parents and legitimate authority.  

(3) Which of the following would LEAST likely have been the subject of an early American textbook?  (D) vocational education  

All agreed that  the principal ingredients of a civic education were literacy  and  the inculcation of patriotic and moral virtues , some others adding  the study of history  and  the study of principles of the republican government  itself. 

(4) The passage provides information that would be helpful in answering which of the following questions?  (B) Was the Federalist party primarily a liberal or conservative force in early American politics?  

The textbook writers turned out to be very largely of  conservative persuasion, more likely Federalist in outlook than Jeffersonian,  and almost universally agreed that political virtue must rest upon moral and religious precepts.  Since most textbook writers were New Englander, this meant that the texts were infused with Protestant and, above all, Puritan outlooks .

mallelac · Answer

I got the answers as 
(1)B

 And they talked about education as essential to the public good

All agreed that the principal ingredients of a civic education were literacy and the inculcation of patriotic and moral virtues, some others adding the study of history and the study of principles of the republican government itself. 



(2)C

 In the textbooks of the day their rosy hues if anything became golden. To the resplendent values of liberty, equality, and a benevolent Christian morality were now added the middle-class virtues-especially of New England-of hard work, honesty and integrity, the rewards of individual effort, and obedience to parents and legitimate authority.  

(3)C

 To the resplendent values of liberty, equality, and a benevolent Christian morality were now added the middle-class virtues-especially of New England-of hard work, honesty and integrity, the rewards of individual effort, and obedience to parents and legitimate authority. 
But of all the political values taught in school, patriotism was preeminent; and whenever teachers explained to school children why they should love their country above all else, the idea of liberty assumed pride of place.
 

It is clear that the thought of patriotism and other civic virtues were added later. It means that the early textbook is unlikely to have this.

(4)E

The E is supported by

  All agreed  that the principal ingredients of a civic education were literacy and the inculcation of patriotic and moral virtues 
I was primarily confused between B & E as I felt the rest were obvious. However, I noticed that even the author was confused about B in his sentence (He used 'likely' - means that the answer to B cannot be an affirmative)

 The textbook writers turned out to be very largely of conservative persuasion,  more likely  Federalist in outlook than Jeffersonian,

prep_gmat · Answer

Chunj,
Please post OAs for this passage.

navneetaron · Answer

C
C
D
A

prep_gmat · Answer

There are 3 different sets of answers here. What is the OA?

banerjeea_98 · Answer

I am getting BCDB

chunjuwu · Answer

HI, sorry for late 

OA is B,C,D,B. 

Thanks

The founders of the Republic viewed their revolution

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