Bernard Bailyn And American Educational Historiography

In the field of the history of American education,Bernard Bailyn is usually regarded as a pioneer of the new education historiography. He connects the traditional educational historiography represented by Cubberley and Monroe and the moderate revisionist historiography represented by Cremin. He is a figure of the moderate revisionist and a famous American historian in the study of early American history. Although he only has a small book in the field of educational history:Education in the Forming of American Society:Needs and Opportunities for Study (1960), to some extent, this little book said the voice of historians and educational historians so it caused a big echo and had great influence on the later educational history writing. This paper put Belin's book under a global and American background and in a broad interpretation, sums up Belin's educational history view, summarizes the achievements and influences of Bailyn, points out his shortages and puts forward my opinions on the orientation and methods in the research of foreign educational history in our country.This dissertation includes the introduction three chapters and the conclusion part.The introduction mainly introduces the reason why choose this topic and reviewed domestic and foreign research on Belin, expounds the research thought and method, the place of innovation and the insufficiency.The first chapter mainly elaborates the social and cultural background. Combined with the development trend of western history, education history and education reform in the United States in the middle of the 20th century. It also introduces the academic career of Bailyn and his connect with the time.The second chapter mainly elaborates the plight of the American educational history and the opinions put forward by Bailyn. The educational history has faced the dispute of vocational and academic for a long time. To answer what the role of education palys in the history of the United States, Bailyn expanded the images of education, updated the educational history's view, increase research topics, all of these carved out the way for further development of educational.The third chapter mainly elaborates Belin's evaluation and his impact. His historiography both has progression and limitation. The progress is he expanded the education's image and research methods, the limitation is he didn't do further research on the education historiography.The conclusion part summarizes Bailyn's era significance and makes the evaluation about the educational historiography'nature and choice.