Exploring the Necessity of Tax Supported Education Essay

Public education in America began in the early to mid-19th century with the simple goal of “uniting the American population by instilling common moral and political values” (Spring, 2012, p. 5). Our country was founded by men who designed the constitution so that it could be amended to accommodate changing political and social climates. They believed in the ideology of the American dream which “holds out a vision of both individual success and the collective good of all” (Hochschild & Scovronick, 2004, p. 1). It is with this same ideology that our public schools were

Even though the Declaration of Independence does not mention education, our founding fathers did value education. Illustrated by the ordinances they passed “in 1785 and 1787 that granted federal lands to states to create and support public school- an institution that the nation’s founders viewed as essential to democracy and national unification.” (Jennings, p3) In 1959, the admission of Alaska and Hawaii into the Union reconfirmed the Federal government’s support of education. Three distinct elements that impact education are; laws that have been passed, the removal of the church from public schools, and the role of federal government that has evolved and changed over the years. These three factors have transformed education over the

Thomas Jefferson recognized the necessity for education as a form of national improvement. Like roads and canals, schools would unite and improve the nation, but this improvement is greater than roads. Jefferson writes in 1786,

Thomas Jefferson remains one of the first advocates for public education, which was later termed the Common School Movement. He recognized the inequality in education, for the wealthy stood the only ones capable of affording an education, thus the poor stayed poor and the rich stayed rich. Jefferson aspired to change the apparent injustices in the education system. He felt all children possessed the right to and education regardless of prosperity, heritage, and circumstances. Even though Jefferson remained not able to create the change he so desperately sought to make, he never stopped trying and since education stayed revolutionized, for his persistence in equality. James Conant, former president of Harvard University stated, “In short, as I view the American scene of the 1960’s, I am ready to declare without hesitation that Jefferson’s proposals have become incorporated in the pattern of our educational structure” (Mercer, 1993).

The federal and state governments provide the American citizens with all of the basic necessities within our communities and society that is taken for granted. Programs responsible for assistance in times of need, providing a quality standard of living, and maintaining the strongest military in the world costs incomprehensible amounts of money and could never exist without taxes from the American people. Taxes are payments made by individuals and businesses to support the government and its services. The constitution grants that congress “shall have the power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts, and excises and to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the people”. Taxes paid by Americans redistribute

In early America, only a couple of schools were open, and children were mainly taught at home or were sent to a boarding school. In 1837, a man named Horace Mann led the Massachusetts Board of Education and he seeked free, equal, non-religious education for all social classes. This was a major step towards obtaining natural rights. In documents H and E, it shows that education is one of the most important things in life. For example, “... It does better than to disarm the poor of their hostility towards the rich; it prevents being poor” (Doc. H). This quote shows that having an education can prevent someone being in poverty because, if you are smart, then you can get a high paying job, which will prevent you from being poor. Another example is, “When he goes to school he walks quickly, and does not lose time on the road. ‘My parents,’ he says, ‘are very good to save some of their money in order that I may learn to read and write’...” (Doc. E). This shows that his parents were willing to spend the extra money for their child to get an education, which will give him a chance at a better life. Without having an education, you will not get very far in life. It is a necessity to life. Education really helped expand democratic ideals in the United States because, giving different class people the chance to attend school and get a free education is the best possible way to do it. You are giving poor and wealthy children the

The motivation behind the building of public schooling in the mid nineteenth century was to create social stability. They hoped that by making education available for all, it would help the diverse population have more things in common while also minimizing poverty and crime. Public education would additionally help better prepare the next generation, allowing for more opportunities in their

Thomas Jefferson wanted the American citizens to be educated, except for black people. “It wasn’t until 1868 when the Fourteenth Amendment, which provide equal protection under the laws, that it had an enormous impact on public schools.”(Spring 184 paraphrased). Although it was a huge accomplishment for our history in America, the decades to come would be hard for not only African American, but as well as for the Native people. Not only in the way they were treated by their society, but the way they received their education from society and its government as well. In the beginning education for African Americans was not received very well by the America public. “Some Anglo-Americans after the Revolution even protested the provision of any education for African Americans, Claiming that it would offend southerners and encourage immigration from Africa.”(Spring 118). Boston was one of the first places for black people to receive an education. “Boston organized the first comprehensive system of urban schools after the passage of the Massachusetts Education act of 1789.”(Spring 118). Within this legislation towns would provide elementary schools for six months of the year and grammar schools in communities with more than 200 families. By 1790 the black population at that time in Boston was 766 out of the total population of

Being able to attend and graduate college is a dream and the next step in life for many students. However, going to college and finishing school are two completely different things. There has been a decrease in students who completed college. Researchers are wondering, what is causing students to not finish schooling? There are many reasons and questions to why it could be affecting the completion of college rates. One of the main issue is the skyrocketing cost of college tuitions. Majority of students are having stress and anxiety for not being able to afford college. This result in having to take out a student loan and having to pay thousands of dollars after they graduate. The last thing students want for their future is having to work

Since the recent passage of the Internet Tax Freedom Act, on October 21, 1998, making the Internet tax free, there has been an intense debate on whether to tax or not to tax Internet purchases. The conservative side, also known as the Republicans, is opposed to Internet taxation saying that it is too costly to collect taxes on Internet purchases. They also believe that since Internet retailers do not have a physical presence in every state, why should the state receive sales tax on a nonexistent store in that state? This would be taxation without representation (par. 18 Lukas). On the other hand, the liberals, also known as democrats, believe that taxation of the Internet should be lawful because

Iowa is very unique when it comes to school finance. We use the single count date for the purpose of funding the state’s school districts. This is a count of the number of students in attendance on October 1st. This is when the federal government requires a count of the number of students eligible for the free and reduced price lunch program for purposes of Title I funding. An advantage to using the single count date is that it is reasonably easy and it also helps to cut down on administrative costs. There are many disadvantages to using this system. The single count date does not give districts any type of financial incentives for holding onto

According to the article “Should higher education really be free for all?” , Ben Ullman states that “free education isn’t free!” Graduates are obviously good for the economy and society and there is some mileage in suggesting that Universities and individual degrees should be government subsidized. But the money has to come from somewhere and do we really think it’s fair to ask the majority of general taxpayers who didn’t directly benefit from Higher Education to completely pay for those who did. To a large extent I would agree in the sense that the question of where would the money come from is a huge issue. If it was just taxes budgeted by the government, then we really run the risk of over spending the budget, which in turn would mean reducing the salaries of teachers, reducing the quality of education like the value of a degree.

Should education be free for all ? My answer is ‘YES’ . And why ? Because Education is the only can change the world by using knowledge, we will depend on this quote by Nelson Mandela :” Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world . “ (http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/n/nelsonmand157855.html). So my idea is every single person in this global should need to study to help the world development . We will prove all the things that we need to know through my article about Education in my view, nation and our global .

Education plays a huge role in today’s society. The only downfall about education is not being able to afford it. Education eats your bank account and costing people to lose thousands so they are able to do something they love or just get a degree. People always question one another asking why people do not go to college. Why are people not taking advantage of something that will pay well after it is completed? Most of the answers for that is that they cannot afford to pay for schooling or they have to work to provide for their family and school is not a number one priority right now. If education was tuition free students would only be able to focus on studying and passing college then looking for money to pay for their schooling and that would help them perform better at school if they do not have to worry about finding a way to pay for it. Education should be free because it would help lower the homeless population, dropout rates, and stop student debt after they graduate college.

This is the mindset that I choose to declare in that education should be free of charge for anyone that is willing to study hard, dedicate time and commitment to better themselves in a desire to service the public. Education is critical for the survival for one's academic, social, and if necessary, political career. It requires a massive amount of money that it becomes an obstacle for many. According to Trade Schools, College, and Universities, more than $80 billion is spent each year by the federal government on post-secondary financial aid. In the 2012-2013 school year, that represented over 70 percent of all student financial assistance in the higher education sector. Indeed,