Academic Freedom

A Contested Issue.

In the 1940s the principle of academic freedom—that university teachers should be free to teach whatever their training and conscience command them to teach—was challenged. Several sensational academic freedom cases developed, signifying increasing political pressure on academia. Some cases were directly related to the volatile politics of the time, especially the anti-Communist hysteria of the late 1940s, but other cases reflected long-standing public suspicions of academia and of intellectuals, especially in terms of their sexual restraint and racial attitudes.

FASCISM, ANTICOMMUNISM, AND AMERICAN SCHOOLS

Prior to and during World War II there was a great deal of controversy over the political thrust of American education. Some were concerned that innovations in the curriculum were inspired by radicals; others feared that traditional curricula amounted to...

[The entire page is 1655 words long]

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