Is it fair to describe Mann’s system of public education as some of th

Is it fair to describe Mann’s system of public education as some of the opponents did, as nothing more than a vehicle for imposing mainstream Protestantism of all Americans?

Why or why not?

ANSWER
Answer: An ideal answer will:
1. Provide a thesis statement that defends one of the two alternatives for assessing Horace Mann’s system of public education.
2. Emphasize the anti-Catholic bias of public school textbooks, state efforts to ensure a Protestant morality in public school curriculum, describe the use of the Protestant Bible in the public schools, and discuss the state’s broad taxation powers to support public schools
3. Explain why these elements of affirming Protestant values and tolerating anti-Catholic bias were not instruments of a larger goal of imposing mainstream Protestantism on young Americans and their families.
4. Emphasize Mann’s support for improving teacher education and preparation and for enhancing the academic rigor of the curriculum in the public schools. Discuss Mann’s nonsectarian view of the public school’s need to be the guardian of a common morality that he believed all Americans, including Catholics and Jews, should share.
5. Discuss how Mann believed that teaching the Protestant Bible in school should be done “without note or comment” and left to churches and parents to interpret, and why Catholics believed that reading the Bible according to individual interpretation undermined the authority of the Catholic Church.
6. Discuss how Mann’s belief that it was the responsibility of all citizens to pay taxes to support the public schools could be interpreted as supporting broader educational improvements, nonsectarian common public morality, and patriotism.
7. Write a concise and effective conclusion.