Introduction
The development of enlightenment thought in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was characterized by distinctive trends in different world regions. The tasks that educators set for students concerned not only the acquisition of new knowledge but also the consolidation of the necessary skills, allowing them to acquire qualifications in the relevant areas. Regarding the Atlantic Enlightenment in the international context, the doctrines and approaches to education were focused on the formation of practical skills and focused more on applied than on liberal arts. When comparing European and American concepts, one may notice that Western approaches to education had a greater focus on the exact sciences. Therefore, in the international context, education in the Atlantic Enlightenment was associated with disciplines that were rather aimed at learning the new than repeating the old.
Discussion
The ideas of the Atlantic Enlightenment are largely described by Thomas Jefferson, who is justly considered one of the founders of American statehood and an outstanding reformer. In his discussions, he drew attention to the differences between American and European approaches to teaching, focusing on specific disciplines. For instance, when speaking of European educational concepts, Jefferson argued that philosophy, ethics, foreign languages, and other humanities were not objective sciences for which American students should have traveled to Europe. This is largely due to the great focus of the Atlantic Enlightenment on the exact and applied disciplines, such as law or physics, which allowed scholars to move forward and transform outdated views of the world. While adhering to this idea, Jefferson noted that after graduating from educational institutions, young people had the right to count on profitable and sought-after places in the labor market. Classical European education, in turn, did not allow them to do this. Thus, in speaking of the Atlantic Enlightenment, attention to narrow disciplines and the desire to move forward were characteristic features that reflected this doctrine in the international context.
One of the characteristics of Atlantic Education was its focus on accessibility as a way to attract as many talented students as possible. For instance, according to Rothschild, the European education of that period cost even wealthy families much money, and often, only a select few could afford to study at the universities of France or Great Britain. From this perspective, the Atlantic Enlightenment can be seen as a movement to provide relatively equal access to education, which was driven by both cultural and social needs. Colonial states, such as Great Britain, set themselves the task of bringing traditional values to as many regions as possible, including America (173). Under pressure from the British Crown, American representatives were forced to adopt appropriate strategies and doctrines in education. However, even in such conditions, the focus on applied sciences remained in the local academic environment. The unwillingness to accept the colonial policies of other countries motivated the American elites to promote distinctive forms of education because, as Jefferson argued, European education did not expand but rather narrowed students’ knowledge. As a result, attempts to separate local educational practices characterized the Atlantic Enlightenment.
Although the Atlantic Enlightenment was held back by the colonial interests of Europe, characteristic trends laid the foundation for further teaching strategies. In his letter to David Williams, Jefferson noted that college-educated young people were welcome in their homelands, where their experience and knowledge could be useful to the country. European approaches, in turn, did not set the task of cultivating knowledge in the local context. The leaders of this region had larger geopolitical tasks to deal with, for instance, international trade, colonization, and other activities designed to strengthen foreign rather than domestic policy. This, in many ways, distinguished European educational doctrines from those in the Atlantic Enlightenment. The American nation was ready to build an independent society, which, unlike the Eastern, African, and other countries under the yoke of the British crown, saw the potential to preserve the intellectual base within the state. Moreover, the development of teaching strategies and practices contributed to this, which gave rise to the era of enlightenment thought. Therefore, while speaking of local approaches to education, in the international context, the Atlantic agenda assumed a focus on internal rather than external resources.
Conclusion
Given the above arguments and justifications, from the international perspective, the Atlantic Enlightenment can be seen as a movement designed to captivate students with new and practical sciences. Compared to traditional European approaches to teaching, the focus on precise and in-demand disciplines was clearer among American educators, as both primary sources and historical contexts suggest. Being under the yoke of the British crown, American society did not stop striving for independence and building an educational system that would strengthen the internal potential of statehood. Great Britain and other colonial European countries, in turn, put external geopolitical tasks higher. As a result, the Atlantic Enlightenment can be characterized by more progressive and practical educational strategies designed to expand the knowledge of students to enhance their development potential and form a stable intellectual base.
Works Cited
Jefferson, Thomas. “From Thomas Jefferson to John Banister, Jr., Web.
Jefferson, Thomas. “Thomas Jefferson to David Williams, 14 November 1803.”National Archives, Web.
Rothschild, Emma. The Inner Life of Empires: An Eighteenth-Century History. Princeton University Press, 2011.