[nescioquid]

Susan Jacoby[1] made the case that the lack of a federal/national education system (the constitution makes it a state responsibility) historically results from Americans' fears of indoctrination by such an education system -- specifically that their children would not be properly indoctrinated into their religion, or worse, be indoctrinated into someone else's religion.

[1] Age of American Unreason

[HWR_14]

That's strange. There's no federal system because of 9th amendment issues. And there was no federal right in the original constitution because universal education is a fairly new concept.