Liberty's Lessons: The Educational Politics of the American Revolution

Zachary Deibel

Learning in America has always been political. Almost every generation of Americans has held public disputes over the purpose of education or the politics of what people should learn. In fact, such contests are not just recurrent throughout America's past–they are foundational to the history of the United States. This book project explores how the disputes that ruptured ties between the British Empire and the American colonies were, in part, conflicts over who should learn, what they should learn, and how they should learn about politics. Throughout the American Revolution, different people and authorities vying for political control tried to teach the people different lessons about their liberties. However, those who aimed to govern also had to navigate local networks of knowledge and modify their instruction to all Americans who had learned various and diverse ideas about their political society. These contests and negotiations over civic knowledge proved to be an important frontier of conflict throughout America's founding era.

About Zachary Deibel

Zachary W. Deibel is currently an Assistant Professor of History at Virginia Military Institute. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from American University before teaching high school social studies for seven years, during which time he also earned his master's degree in history from Arkansas State University. He then earned his doctorate in history at Binghamton University. His research explores the intertwined histories of politics and learning throughout the eighteenth century. At VMI, Zachary teaches the United States History survey as well as specialized courses covering Colonial America, the American Revolution, the Age of Revolutions, and the Atlantic World.