One can see the multiple ways in which the leaders of Europe, the United States, and Japan justified the expansion of educational opportunity by looking at the thoughts of the populace in these particular societies. The thoughts of people in Europe had begun to drift out of the regular realm (document 11 ), women were being seen in a different light. The men in these societies were able to look past their vision of only the wife in the woman, the future wife in the young girl. Here they saw the potential and the gifts that some of these women had been given. They saw the ability of these women to support themselves and then found it important that education should be given to young girls so that when they grew up and perchance chose to support themselves they would have the life skills and qualities to do so happily. If the society wants the expansion of educational opportunity, is it not justified to carry out their wishes. In the United States (document 22 ) one can find once again a different social view, this time from a reform leader. This person felt that in order to follow the laws, you must first understand them. What they're about, where they came from, and why they're in place. To understand this concept one must sit back and think, what is the point of following a law if you don't understand it? Is it worth anything to you if you don't understand it? Why would you follow something that didn't mean anything too you? It is these very questions whose answers justify the expansion of educational opportunity. Document 43 shows that in Japan the expansion of educational opportunities was justified by the a simple fact of their belief. They believed that through education their citizens could morally better themselves, and that this moral improvement gave the utmost honor to their empire.
One may also find justification for the expansion of educational opportunities by looking at the intellect of the societies. In Europe (document 1) Women were not only seen to have the intellectual capacity for knowledge, and it was said that they would be more useful if they were educated. Why not educate them? In the United States it was thought that to be educated you had to have rationality. To achieve rationality you often have to have knowledge about the way the things around you work, or education. If education gives citizens the intellectual power to be rational, and that further helps them to become educated. If the want for a rational community can come through education, then it is fair to say that the expansion of educational opportunity is justified. In the United States it was also said that women had the desire for knowledge and education and that nothing could stop them ( document 3 ), if that was so it would be pointless for the government to deny them the right to education, thus expanded the educational opportunity. In Japan they had different justification ( document 5 ). A certain educational reformist felt that their education system was lacking in studies of the number ( math), material culture ( literature) and independence of spiritual culture, and that the west's education systems were better. It is possible that they agreed with him and saw the west expanding their educational opportunities and decided to do the same, in hope that their education system would become like that of the west. It is also possible that the leaders of Japan felt as if by the expansion of educational opportunity their education would become less lacking, more whole, excepting, and better rounded.
As one examines the proof of justification of the expansion of educational opportunity in Europe, the United States, and Japan, they will discover that there is a pattern. Justification of the expansion of educational opportunity through society was pushed by the education helping society, and beliefs, and justification of the expansion of educational opportunity through intellect was pushed by the intellectual capacity to learn, bettering society and want for better education. It is predictable that in document 4 Japan would praise education. The Japanese and other eastern Asia countries ( particularly china) have always valued education, so it would be odd for them not to praise it. It is also predictable that a woman would talk about a women's desire to learn, and how such a desire was unstoppable. For not only would she know, but would probably be slightly bias, leaning towards the side or solution that favored women. To aid the study of the topic of justification of expansion of educational opportunity in Europe, the United States and Japan, it would be helpful to have and article form Eastern Europe. The culture and society of Eastern Europe is hugely different from that of Western Europe ( the location of the only European based article). Having an article from both of the main cultural areas of Europe would help one to further assess the justification of the expansion of educational opportunity in the whole of Europe.
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