Free Education Dbq

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The first political advocate to ever address the issue of education was in 1877 when Rutherford B. Hayes became the first president to make a strong case for universally public education (Sanders). He was a representative for republicans at the time, while many advocates for free education are, contrarily, a part of the Democratic Party in the present day. One of the first cases of a free college education having positive effects of society was in 1944, when the newly issued GI Bill allowed free tuition for World War II Veterans, as well as many other benefits for them, such as benefits in home loans and the unemployment pay (Staff). In fact, Veterans chose to not take advantage of the unemployment pay, but rather use the free education to …show more content…

This GI Bill in turn created a major expansion of the nation's higher education system and made college a cornerstone of middle-class American life. Although the GI Bill is still in existence, the effects of the bill has been limited due to the high costs of college today. A plan that was once extremely successful is no longer as effective. Free education, during this time, did, in fact, create jobs and improve the economic standing of America and can still help societies …show more content…

More than a century later, President Abraham Lincoln passed the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 which enabled more than 70 colleges and universities to be created (Staff). The GI Bill in 1956 gave Veterans an opportunity many could not afford before. All of these instances in America’s history have made it easier for ordinary American citizens to learn more about the world they live in. There are numerous opportunities for the leaders of this country to help the issue of college tuitions rising, it is just a matter of initiative. As Bernie Sanders states in his “Public College Should Be Free” speech to the senate, “It is time to build on the progressive movement of the past.” When all younger people with the determination and the aptitude can reach their full potential, regardless of their economic or social circumstances at birth, America will have a tougher economy and a stronger democracy, a motive that goes back before Americans today can

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