In the Cause of True Education: Henry Barnard and the 19th Century School Reform

The educator Henry Barnard (1811-1900) is scarcely remembered today, yet he was the major intellecual force behind 19th-century school reform in America, This biography is a full-scale study of his life and achievements. Containing wide-ranging material on historical, political and educational developments in Barnard's day, the book assesses his contributions, discusses his intellectual and practical ideas, and provides details about his career. Tracking his influential progress through the educational establishment, MacMullen sheds new light on the common-school reform movement and shows how this enlightened reformer transmitted the ideas of leading European educators through his journal, "American Journal of Education".