Few Americans were as involved in reform movements as: Benjamin Rush, a Philadelphia doctor. Rush saw the American Revolution as important not only for securing independence but also as the beginning of a general movement to regenerate mankind. The United States would be an example to the rest of the world, and Rush was keenly aware that everything the Americans did would have profound consequences for the world's future. He particularly interested himself in educational reform, actively supporting the establishment of schools and colleges in the new country Here he advises on the proper role of teachers and the ways America's educational system should be different from Europe's: , In the Education of youth, let the authority of our masters be as absolute as possible. The government of schools, like the government of private families, should be arbitrary, that it may not be severe. By...