In 1813, Thomas Jefferson warned that the artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth threatens government integrity. Education was seen as a remedy by the founding fathers.
Madison, Franklin, and Jefferson all believed education could combat the evils of hereditary privilege, envisioning a new class of leaders based on talent, not fortune.
Alexis de Tocqueville noted that the lack of hereditary institutions in America made education vital for social mobility, with intelligence becoming a fundamental value.
Despite the original promise of education as a means of social mobility, today the system often perpetuates inequality, as most selective universities mainly enroll students from wealthy families.
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