The Early National Period (1775 - 1820)

2.1 Explain how the early national period influenced education in this country.

• The Constitution played the major role in educational history during this time period. The founders concluded that no one religion should be placed over another. This led to the "establishment clause" of the First Amendment, prohibiting the formation of any official religion. From this we get the principle of separation of church and state. This principle has repeatedly been upheld in court.
• As discussed below, the national period also saw legislation removing control of education from the federal government and the federal government endowing itself with a role in educational funding. This created an early blurring of the line between state and federal governments. Now, the federal government can pass federal laws that all states must abide by. The federal government also uses schools to achieve national goals.

2.2 What is the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution? Why is it important for education today?

• The Tenth Amendment states that matters not explicitly assigned to the federal government would be the responsibility of the individual states. It implicitly removed the government from the role of running and operating schools and gave it to the states instead. This is why schools still receive all their standards and curriculum from the state and local levels.

2.3 What was the historical significance of the Land Ordinance of 1785?

• The Land Ordinance of 1785 was designed to sell land west of the colonies as divided townships and used money raised from one of the sections to fund public education. This precedent is still in effect today, with the federal government holding a large portion of responsibility for the funding in education nationwide. This created an early blurring of the line between state and federal governments. Now, the federal government can pass federal laws that all states must abide by. The federal government also