School: The Story of American Public Education

In the aftermath of the Revolution, a newly independent America came face-to-face with one of its most daunting challenges: how to build a united nation out of 13 colonies with little in common. Many citizens believed that education held the key. This episode profiles the passionate crusade launched by Thomas Jefferson, Horace Mann and others to create a common system of tax-supported schools that would mix people of different backgrounds and reinforce the bonds that tie Americans together. Would the grand experiment, with all of its flaws, succeed?