Shapiro, Adam (2015) Science education. In: Montgomery, G.M. and Largent, M.A. (eds.) A Companion to the History of American Science. Wiley, pp. 320-332. ISBN 9781405156257.
Abstract
To begin to understand the history of science education in the United States, one must begin with its role in American colonialism. The American Declaration of Independence's invocation of “the Laws of Nature and Nature's God” is an assertion that the justifications for colonialism (of England over white Americans, at the very least) were contrary to nature itself - and God. Miners in California and Nevada pointed to their self-educated credentials as a demonstration of their fitness, while others saw the need to create an American mining school as a way to ensure the Americanness of future industry. These issues came to a head during and immediately after the American Civil War. The public interpretation of the Soviet satellite Sputnik I as a symbol of falling behind in military and economic competition served to foment public support for Cold War-era science education.
Metadata
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| School: | Birkbeck Faculties and Schools > Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences > School of Historical Studies |
| Depositing User: | Administrator |
| Date Deposited: | 21 Jul 2016 13:05 |
| Last Modified: | 02 Aug 2023 17:25 |
| URI: | https://eprints.bbk.ac.uk/id/eprint/15767 |
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