Rockefeller's Educational Reform - Dark Truth that trashed my mind and caused me mental constipation.

I initially set out to write about the Torches of Freedom campaign while studying Edward Bernays' book Propaganda from 1928. However, just before my determination to finish this article was extinguished I had a moment of shiny bright Enlightenment that I hat compelled me to first shed light on some shady areas.

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We sure love conspiracy theories, don't we? This is kind of… well it turns out it is not. Mostly. Hear me out. How about creating a perfect customer from scratch? Literally.

Sounds like good idea!

(A poster that was used to encourage Americans to car-share in order to conserve oil for the US during World War II.)

It can't be true, can it?

Just grab an iPad, hold a Starbucks in hand, wear polished preppy Ralph Lauren, and enjoy reading

“I don’t want a nation of thinkers, I want a nation of workers.” John D. Rockefeller.

He said that for sure, right? Well, not quite. Although this quote is frequently attributed to John D. Rockefeller, there is no verified historical source confirming that he actually said it. Conversely, we can’t definitively say he didn’t say it either.

It’s important to note that I’m writing this as a non-American, and the word 'propaganda' wasn’t pejorative until World War II, when it underwent a significant transformation.

This perspective aligns with the broader criticism of Rockefeller’s influence on the American educational system. It highlights how conformity was not just encouraged but deemed essential for creating a labor force tailored to meet the burgeoning demands of industrialization, even though the precise origin of this quote remains uncertain

I know you’re familiar with the Creel Committee from 1917 - I plan to cover it in another article. If I were to do a deep dive into it now, I could easily write an entire book!

Rockefeller's Educational Reform – Is it bad or worse?

In 1902, after Rockefeller donated $1 million to its cause, the General Education Board was formed. It was a private organization established to support scholarship in the rural South of the United States.

What bothers me is page 6 of the paper The Country School of To-Morrow by Frederic Taylor Gates. I don’t want to play devil’s advocate - I’ve read the entire paper several times, and page 6 stands out to me.

There is a quoted sentence:

 In our dream, we have limitless resources and the people yield themselves with perfect docility to our molding hand. The present educational conventions fade from their minds; and, unhampered by tradition, we work our own good will upon a grateful and responsive rural folk. We shall not try to make these people or any of their children into philosophers or men of learning, or men of science. We have not to raise up from among them authors, editors, poets or men of letters. We shall not search for embryo great artists, painters, musicians nor lawyers, doctors, preachers, politicians, statesmen, of whom we have an ample supply…The task we set before ourselves is very simple as well as a very beautiful one, to train these people as we find them to a perfectly ideal life just where they are… So we will organize our children into a little community and teach them to do in a perfect way the things their fathers and mothers are doing in an imperfect way, in the homes, in the shops and on the farm

Read whole page 6  or better whole paper from 1916 it is in archives “ GEB Occasional Papers no.1 – The country school of to-morrow” by Frederic T. Gates

https://archive.org/details/countryschoolof00gate/page/6/mode/2up

I even translated it into Polish to understand it better, but my mind is still boggled. It bothers me so much!

Does it address the remedy for the sad reality of the South during those days, or does it reflect a broader philosophy of modern education? Initially, I believed it referred solely to the improvement of Southern farms, but this feels shady... I don’t trust him.

I recognize that such attributions often arise from critiques of how industrial magnates like Rockefeller influenced society.

I clearly see that beneath the surface of Rockefeller’s philanthropic ventures lies a troubling reality, one that prompts a deeper examination of his true motives in shaping the nation’s educational landscape. I realized that at a certain point, when you have so much money, your focus shifts toward power or ideology."

The Control of Education Through Standardization

Rockefeller's influence on the educational system was far from entirely altruistic. The General Education Board (GEB) played a pivotal role in enforcing a standardized model of education across the nation. While this standardization was presented as a means of efficiency and progress, it served a deeper agenda: creating a workforce tailored to the needs of industrialists like Rockefeller himself.

By promoting a uniform curriculum that prioritized rote memorization over critical thinking, the system aimed to produce compliant, obedient citizens well-suited for the factory floor. This model suppressed creativity and intellectual autonomy, effectively stifling the development of independent thought and innovation.

Moreover, Rockefeller’s influence extended to silencing alternative forms of education that might have fostered critical thinking and individualism. Progressive educational models that encouraged these qualities were overshadowed by a system designed to churn out docile workers aligned with the interests of industrialists.

Dark Truth

To fully grasp the darker motivations behind Rockefeller’s educational initiatives, one must consider the broader context of his industrial empire. As the founder of Standard Oil, Rockefeller amassed immense power and wealth, and his investment in education was far from mere philanthropy. It was a calculated strategy to secure his economic dominance by molding the very workforce that would serve his industries.

By shaping the educational system to produce obedient, non-questioning workers, Rockefeller aimed to ensure that his industrial empire would be supported by a compliant labor force. The educational reforms, therefore, were less about empowering future generations and more about maintaining control over the economic machine—a machine that required unthinking, subservient participants rather than empowered, critical thinkers who might challenge the status quo.

The Legacy

While Rockefeller's contributions to education are undeniable, it is essential to critically assess the underlying motivations of his efforts. The standardized educational system he helped create, with its emphasis on conformity and the marginalization of alternative methods, casts a shadow on the legacy he left behind.

The Soviets

Don't worry, they bring it to another level! Isnt it quite ironic that, (in my opinion) while Rockefeller was often viewed as a pure devil, the Soviets implemented a remarkably similar approach, at least less officially?

They gradually adopted strategies to shape their own educational eco-system.

I want to cover a mix of Creel Committee, GEB, Taylor Gates, Edward Bernays with a Marks propaganda in one big red paradigm too! Soon.

I hope you enjoyed this content!

I'm excited to share that I'm planning to make a YouTube video on this and similar topic.

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Sources:

• Frederick T. Gates. "The Country School Of To-Morrow," Occasional Papers, No. 1 

• Edward Bernays – Propaganda(1928)

• Edward Bernays - Crystalizing Public Opinion(1923)

• Edward Bernays biography

• The Rockefeller Foundation

• Internet Archive

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philanthropy_in_the_United_States

• https://www.britannica.com/