Horace Mann’s essay Moral and Religious Education states how he believed the

education system should be and what it should accomplish. The document explains his belief

that the countries educational system should be based on teaching the moral code found in the

bible, but should not be constrained by any certain religion. He explains his intent for how he

feels the interaction of the church and state should exist and why.

Providing education for every citizen of the country is not an easy task, and at the

beginning of public education it was far more difficult. Almost all early nineteenth century

Americans followed a particular sect of Christianity. The problem that Horace Mann

encountered with the educational system is that secular believers were able to teach doctrine

to their students and were even able to bring a catechism into the classroom as a tool for

teaching. Realizing that a civilized society needs education for its continued success he came

under criticism for advocating that the system did not become controlled by religious doctrine.

He saw a separation between personal freedom and intolerance because of beliefs. To explain

this division Horace Mann stated “Government should do all that it can to facilitate the

acquisition of religious truth, but shall leave the decision of the question to the arbitrant.”

(Mann pg 320) In other words it is the duty of the government to provide for its citizens to have

access to religion without peril of discrimination, but they should not have the power to

enforce it upon the citizens.

Teaching religion in the schools would lead to the intolerance that had existed in other

civilized countries throughout time. Mann advocated that law needed to protect the education

system by keeping a balance between what could and could not be taught in the schools. He
believed that the truth was to be found in the Bible and that the truth by itself was enough and

must be decided by the individual and not by the state for the individual.