Deck 2: Liberty and Literacy: The Jeffersonian Ideal

Question 1

The exploitation and social exclusion of individuals based on race, gender, ethnicity, social class, sexual orientation, etc., is a phenomenon that prevailed in Jefferson's time and is still apparent today. Discuss how this notion of exclusion is evident in our contemporary system of education. In your view, how can teachers best address this phenomenon?

Answer 1

No answer

Question 2

One of the tenets of classic liberalism was a commitment to nationalism. Discuss briefly what arguments this concept provoked in Jefferson's time, and examine whether there might be parallels in today's discussions over civic education, bilingual education, and the use of terms such as African American, Asian American, Irish American, etc.

Answer 2

No answer

Question 3

One of Jefferson's key points was that an important purpose of education is "to prepare students to be able to participate as democratic citizens in our society." What did he mean by this? Thinking about contemporary society and our system of education, what does this mean today? What does this mean to you as an individual and a teacher?

Answer 3

No answer

Question 4

Which of the following was the source of income for most of the American population at the time when Jefferson became president?

A) Agriculture
B) Crafts
C) Fishing
D) Shipping

Question 5

In the context of feudalism, the peasants were referred to as

A) the clergy.
B) the second estate.
C) the bourgeoisie.
D) the third estate.

Question 6

Which of the following was the basic social and economic unit of early America during Jefferson's time?

A) The legislature
B) The government
C) The school
D) The family

Question 7

Jefferson and his contemporaries believed that land ownership was important because

A) it was an indicator of individual freedom and independence.
B) it freed individuals to pursue politics and ideas.
C) it served to tear down the last vestiges of feudalism.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 8

Democratic localism is a belief that local communities should be

A) under presidential rule.
B) ruled entirely by national governments.
C) ruled entirely by state governments.
D) self-governing.

Question 9

For most Americans of the revolutionary era, community monitoring of family matters such as child-rearing

A) was considered an inappropriate intrusion into the private sphere.
B) was a legitimate vehicle for reinforcing shared familial values.
C) did not exist.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 10

The Revolution resulted in

A) a close connection between church and state.
B) special rights associated with the elite social status.
C) the initiation of a "noble experiment" in self-government.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 11

The fundamental tenets of classical liberalism included

A) an adherence to the feudal order.
B) the bartering of goods and services.
C) the sanctioning of marriages by the community.
D) the legal separation of church and state.

Question 12

Which of the following is true of Jefferson's proposal for the development of elementary school districts?

A) Jefferson would personally handle the general governance of the elementary schools in these districts.
B) The curriculum of the elementary schools in these districts would provide the extent of schooling for the mass of the population.
C) Each of the districts would establish an elementary school where "all free children, male and female," would be entitled to attend without cost for ten years.
D) Jefferson would have centralized governmental authority to local districts, which he believed could most effectively exercise power.

Question 13

The Protestant Reformation emphasized the duty to

A) obey the priesthood.
B) obey the dictates of individual conscience in a right relationship with God.
C) obey an absolute king.
D) encourage women to speak in public gatherings and question public authorities on religion or law.

Question 14

The notion of the universe as a "machine" stemmed from

A) a biblical metaphor.
B) the belief in natural law.
C) the writings of Isaac Newton.
D) None of these answers is correct.

Question 15

The fourth fundamental idea of liberalism was belief in

A) priesthood.
B) monarchy.
C) progress.
D) tradition.

Question 16

The classical liberal conceptions of virtue included belief in

A) the womanly virtues of piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity.
B) fulfilling one's duty to God.
C) fulfilling one's duty to nature.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 17

Early classical liberals believed that revolution might be necessary because

A) social institutions can work against general welfare.
B) the politically unrepresented needed a vehicle for political influence.
C) there might be no other reliable route to social progress.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 18

The fundamental tenets of classical liberalism do not include

A) republican virtue.
B) nationalism.
C) economic equality.
D) faith in reason.

Question 19

Which of these is closely related to the notion of "negative freedom"?

A) Laissez-faire economic policy
B) Separation of church and state
C) Civil rights
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 20

Which of the following is consistent with Jefferson's views on education?

A) The independence of democratic life from education
B) Education as a means to counteract the effects of human reason
C) Education as a prerequisite for leadership
D) The implementation of the Harvard model of a prescribed course of study

Question 21

According to Jefferson, "truth"

A) was created by human inquiry.
B) was subject to revision.
C) was a result of similarities in opinion.
D) was a property of the natural world.

Question 22

Thomas Jefferson valued education in part because he believed

A) it prevented the need for lifelong learning.
B) it prevented differences in political opinion.
C) it counteracted the effects of human reason.
D) it contributed to happiness.

Question 23

Jefferson's support for agrarianism is most closely linked to

A) religious toleration.
B) individual self-sufficiency.
C) slavery.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 24

During his time, Jefferson's advocacy of natural aristocracy was consistent with

A) conservatism.
B) liberalism.
C) egalitarianism.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 25

According to the principles of faculty psychology,

A) the mind was like a muscle.
B) the mind was like an empty vessel to be filled with knowledge.
C) training and understanding could be transferred to any life situation.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 26

Jefferson believed that education

A) could be adequately achieved for most people within three years of schooling.
B) should be a lifelong enterprise.
C) should be provided primarily for the natural aristocracy.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 27

Jefferson's belief that three years of publicly funded education would help create a literate public reflected

A) his lack of commitment to public literacy.
B) his view that, in three years, people could develop a literacy foundation for lifelong learning.
C) the recognition that, in an agrarian culture, people would have no reason to attend more than three years of school.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 28

Jefferson's beliefs about the racial inferiority of African Americans led him to

A) criticize the British monarch.
B) argue against intermarriage.
C) support the Harvard model of education.
D) consider slavery a state issue.

Question 29

Jefferson's views on the education of women were

A) consistent with classical liberalism.
B) inconsistent with classical liberalism.
C) irrelevant to classical liberalism.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 30

Jefferson believed that university education

A) would develop the natural aristocracy for existing society.
B) should be accessed by all who desired it.
C) should be based on a tuition model.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 31

Jefferson's justification of his slaveholding, on the grounds that slaves were incapable of self-governance, reflects

A) the influence of classical liberal racism.
B) his efforts to rationalize an apparent inconsistency in his own beliefs and actions.
C) the probable influence of economic considerations on Jefferson's political thought.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 32

Which of the following is true of Jefferson's views on Native Americans?

A) He believed that intermarriage between White people and Native Americans was unacceptable.
B) He believed that Native Americans were responsible for instructing Whites in acquiring the necessities of European culture.
C) He believed that the culture of Native Americans was vastly superior to that of Whites.
D) He believed that Native Americans were equal to Whites in natural endowment.

Question 33

Jefferson's idea of relatively free election was based on the premise that

A) all students would enter the university with a common basic education acquired in the grammar schools.
B) the Harvard model of a prescribed course of study is the most effective to improve the condition of a student's mind.
C) the fundamental aim of all education is to prevent the need for lifelong learning.
D) an effective citizenship required an innate moral sense rather than an economic base.

Question 34

To understand important concepts such as democracy and freedom, we must seek understanding within the context in which they are advocated. This means we

A) need to understand history.
B) need to understand ideology.
C) need to understand political economy.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 35

The bill that brought about the "wall of separation" between church and state

A) became a model for subsequent state laws.
B) contended that individual religious beliefs could be infringed upon by the state.
C) allowed the church to censor books.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 36

Jefferson believed that newspapers

A) could be the instructor of the masses.
B) printed gossip, half-truths, and lies.
C) could be a vehicle for debate.
D) All of these answers are correct.

Question 37

In the context of the classical roots of the liberal ideology, which of the following is true of the concept of federalism?

A) It affirmed a new collective identity.
B) It criticized the autonomy of individual states.
C) It gave way to European feudalism.
D) It advocated the need for a society that followed tradition.

Question 38

Democracy was the most moral of governments for Jefferson because

A) it protected "inalienable rights."
B) it did not need to replace feudalism or repress colonized people.
C) it did not rely on people as the depository of the ultimate powers of society.
D) it gave way to European feudalism.

Question 39

Meritocracy

A) is equivalent to democracy.
B) values talent over social position.
C) is a natural manifestation of the social order.
D) All of these answers are correct.