American Superiority, Democratic Idealism, and the Truman Commission: A Critical Discourse Historical Analysis of Higher Education for American Democracy

ABSTRACT

In this critical historical analysis, Higher Education for American Democracy is considered a historical artifact, and its veneration as a landmark quest for equal opportunity in higher education is challenged. I argue that this report and the institutional expansion that resulted positioned the federal government to have a direct role in higher education, allowing presidential agendas and dominant ideologies to influence the course of college and university curriculum, access, and purpose. Through a discourse historical approach and a critical realist lens, the Truman Commission Report and President Truman’s public statements are analyzed to reevaluate ther report and its implications for the democratic purpose of higher education in America after World War II.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

¹ Critical discourse analysis (CDA) and the theoretical framework are defined and discussed in the methods section.

² Critical realism is defined in the framework section and is adapted from the works of Bhaskar, also noted in the methods and framework section.

³ The GI Bill contained multiple provisions aimed to assist veterans in the transition from war to civilian life; the tuition benefits were just one of those provisions. Since many service members’ education was interrupted, or they did not have the opportunity to attend college due to the draft, this provision was a means to encourage those returning from war to continue their education. The bill also supported later efforts to educate citizens in how to understand the postwar world (see Mettler, 2007).

⁴ Members of the commission, appointed by President Truman, are listed in Appendix 1 with their affiliation at the time of appointment. The members had varied careers before or after their appointment, some beginning and ending in academia, others began in industry, agriculture, or finance; others were scholars and public activists. Of the 30 people appointed, two were women and one was a man of color.

⁵ The Truman Commission sought to help higher education, albeit with the national agenda in mind. The relationship between higher education and the federal government preceding 1947 was one-sided: The government gained more than the institutions through the Morrill Acts and research and development. For critical analyses of the relationship between higher education and the federal government, specifically pre-1947 (see Geiger & Sorber, 2013).

⁶ Here, material conditions are considered the actual events that create the context in which the discourse is created or employed.

⁷ It is important to note that Truman did not write all of these speeches alone; he employed speechwriters and other individuals to contribute to or prepare some of his addresses and statements. The author recognizes this and considers the discourse attributed to Truman is that of his agenda, as those employed by Truman, or any president, are considered advocates and supporters of the president’s agenda and are charged with representing that agenda through their works for the president.

⁸ The commission’s final report was a culmination of the work of 30 individuals (see Appendix). George Zook chaired the commission and transmitted the final report. Thus, Zook will be cited as the author of the text throughout as the representative of the collective voice of the committee.

⁹ Isaiah Bowman’s letter to the president, dated November 24, 1945, was published in the New York Times on November 27. President Truman’s letter of response was dated December 14, 1945, but was released by the White House press office on December 20, 1945, to be publicly available.

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Allison L. Palmadessa

Allison L. Palmadessa is Professor of History and Chair of the History Department at Greensboro College. Dr. Palmadessa’s expertise is in higher education history and federal higher education policy. Her works include historical analyses of higher education and national identity, federal policy and presidential agendas regarding higher education, and the role of higher education in American democracy. Dr. Palmadessa’s forthcoming book, Power, Discourse, and the Purpose of Policy: A Genealogical Study of the Higher Education Act (Palgrave MacMillan) will be available in late 2023.