George Washington and Enlightenment Ideas on Educating Future Citizens and Public Servants

Abstract

Historians and scholars occasionally remind us of facts and lessons we seem to have forgotten. One such fact is that George Washington was among the first thinkers to frame a vision for educating public servants in the administration of a democratic republic. Washington envisioned an education system, solidly grounded in liberal studies, that would utilize processes of socialization to enhance a sense of national community. Specifically, he emphasized the importance of educating young persons in the science of government (his term) at American universities rather than sending them abroad. This article uses primary documents from the Library of Congress archives along with secondary sources to discern George Washington’s Enlightenment-based ideas for educating America’s youth in the science of government. It also reveals how Washington’s Enlightenment-based ideas on education for public administration (also his term) are still quite relevant in thinking about education for public service today.

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