Progressive Writing

When the American Legion set out to help bring down one of the Progressive Era's most prominent progressive educators, Harold Rugg, it did so out of a long-standing conviction that any form of anti-Americanism must be met head on and extinguished in the most expedient manner. Legion members, ever alert to anti-American rhetoric, believed that they had discovered a genuine threat disguised as an educator, whose goal was to turn red-blooded American children away from democratic principles and towards a malevolent political and economic system (i.e., communism) that could bring America to her knees. Rugg, they believed, would accomplish this task through his textbook series aimed at public school children. The heightened patriotism of World War II is the historical context for the American Legion's attack on progressive education. In order to assess the nature of the Legion's attack on Rugg, this article examines the American Legion's publication, "The American Legion Magazine," from 1941 until the advent of Sputnik, and its pamphlet series titled "The Complete Rugg Philosophy." The prevailing progressive educational climate and the scope of progressive thought will also be examined in order to clarify Rugg's role within progressive education. Additionally, the origins of the American Legion and its stated goals and purpose provide a framework for understanding the intense and systematic attack the Legion launched against Harold Rugg. These origins help to explain two main questions. First, why was Rugg seemingly singled out? Second, why was the Legion so dedicated to Rugg's downfall? (Contains 36 endnotes.)