ABSTRACT
Americans have a long history of supporting education for democratic purposes. Education has long been seen as a way not only to ensure but also to encourage democracy. Many influential American leaders followed democratic theoretical precepts stating that only an educated people can govern itself. The most important education philosopher of the twentieth century, John Dewey, argued that education in a democratic society must be universally available to all. The great majority of public school funding is provided by the states and localities, often raised at least in part through property taxes. Although there are still inequalities within the American education system, the trend since before the American Revolution has been to increase access to, and equality among, public schools. This has occurred through the gradual reduction of segregation in schools, the incorporation of vocational education into comprehensive high schools, and the equalization of school funding.
