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Early American Leaders and the Resources of Moral Values
Beginning with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, early American history was marked by stories of great leaders who were driven by principles to uphold liberty and righteousness. These great leaders also set forth the moral tone of the nation under their leadership. The source of morality was from their religious values. They were joined by other leaders of their times to make manifest the source of their personal morality values as they lived lives exemplified by selflessness and truth.

One example is Patrick Henry who penned the well-known speech where he said, "give me liberty or give me death," and "it cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians, not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ!"

John Quincy Adam said this, "The highest glory of the American Revolution was this: it connected, in one indissoluble bond, the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity."

It appears these leaders were greatly influenced by their Christian faith in both the public and private lives. America was blessed by these leaders in the establishment of the Constitution and the Amendments that have long lasting moral values throughout the centuries in American history. It was noted by David Barton "of the 55 founding fathers of the American constitution, 52 of them were orthodox evangelical Christians."

Another example of the early Christian influence in the public arena was the early form of government in the balance of the executive, legislative, and the judicial was based on the teaching in the Bible as found in the book of Isaiah, Chapter 33, verse 22, where it was recorded "For the LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us." The foundation of tax exemption for churches in the United States was derived from the book of Ezra, Chapter 7, and verse 24 "You are also to know that you have no authority to impose taxes, tribute or duty on any of the priests, Levites, singers, gatekeepers, temple servants or other workers at this house of God."

Formal education and Christian teachings were inseparable. As early as 1844 in a case of Vidal v. Girard, the Supreme Court found, "Why may not teach the Bible, and especially the New Testament, be read and taught as a divine revelation in the schools? Where can the purest principles of morality be learned so clearly or so perfectly as from the New Testament?"

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American Educational System Now and Then

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Introduction &
The Early American Settlers

Early American Leaders and the Resources of Moral Values

American Educational System Now and Then

Moral Education in the Public Schools in the United States

Failure of Moral Education in the Public Schools in the Post-Modern Era

Specific Moral Issues in Education for Consideration

A Future View of Moral Education in the United States

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