John Dewey was the most famous teacher of philosophy in the
early twentieth century, and he was known for his lifelong work to
reform America’s educational system. Dewey was born in Burlington,
Vermont, in 1859 to strict Calvinist parents. After graduating from
the University of Vermont, Dewey taught high school and studied
philosophy in his spare time. He finished his doctorate degree at
Johns Hopkins University and continued to teach at various
universities around the country, finally landing at Columbia
University. While in New York, Dewey became involved in political
groups and founded what would become the progressive education
movement, which purported that students should learn to think for
themselves to become active participants of a democratic society.
He was also a founding member of the NAACP and the ACLU. At this
time, Dewey was influenced by Karl Marx, and after traveling to
different countries to study their educational systems, praised
Soviet education and came under critical scrutiny in the United
States. Dewey continued his political and philosophical efforts
until his death in 1952.