Education has, and will always be, an essential component in our development. We must learn and progress in order to live, to produce and to succeed—whether we’re learning in school or out of school. Suffice to say that our nation’s presidents, over the course of history, understood this. Not all of them earned college degrees (in fact, a total of nine U.S. presidents did not graduate from college), but all of them understood the value of education and learning as an important part of progress and success.
For instance, Abraham Lincoln, whose formal education consisted of one meager year, was very driven to learn through his own efforts. As described in a
NY Times book review of
Lincoln’s Virtue: An Ethical Biography by William Lee Miller, Lincoln had “embarked on a quest for learning and self-improvement. He read incessantly, beginning as a youth with the Bible and Shakespeare. During his single term in the House of Representatives, his colleagues considered it humorous that Lincoln spent his spare time poring over books in the Library of Congress.”
FUN PRESIDENTIAL EDUCATION FACTS:
- 7 U.S. presidents have earned law degrees
- President Theodore Roosevelt was mostly homeschooled until he went to Harvard College
- Harvard University (undergraduate) has produced the most presidents (5)
- President Barack Obama is the only president to earn a degree from Columbia University
- Famous writer Nathaniel Hawthorne was a friend to Franklin Pierce, who became the 14th President of the United States
At the other end of the educational spectrum, President Woodrow Wilson earned a PhD in history and political science from Johns Hopkins University. He’s the only president to earn a PhD. In 1902, he became the president of Princeton University, after serving as a professor there.
In between those two presidents, there are countless instances in which education has taken the main stage, whether it is within the personal life of a president, or within their presidential life. In regards to the latter, President John F. Kennedy (Harvard graduate) kicked off his presidency with the “New Frontier,” as he called it. The New Frontier was his plan for the country, which comprised legislation and programs for a more prosperous economy, equal rights for women, and education, which included The Vocational Education Act (1953), The Educational Television Facilities Act (1962), and countless other plans for the benefit of students and teachers across the nation.
Education and learning are simple, plain and simple. As educators, we see the value and the impact of this every single day. No matter where you end up in your career, whether it’s in the White House or elsewhere, find the path that is going to bring you the most challenging, productive and enriching learning experience. If you do this, you’ll find both personal and career happiness and success.
Don’t forget to take the
U.S. Presidents Day Quiz and Giveaway for a chance at a $25 Amazon gift card! Oh, and
happy Presidents Day!
For more information about the online degree programs at Allied Schools, call us at
(888) 501-7686.
Sources:
- Higher Education Act of 1965, H.R. 621, 89th Cong., 1st Sess. (1965)
- Lee Miller, W. Lincoln’s Virtues: An Ethical Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2002.
- Foner, E. “The Education of Abraham Lincoln.” NY Times. February 10, 2002. http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/10/books/the-education-of-abraham-lincoln.html
- Lepi, K. “A Presidential Education.” Edudemic. January 19, 2013. http://edudemic.com/2013/01/a-presidential-education/1209_prezinfographic1_02-2/
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