Thomas Jefferson, when vice-president of the United States in 1798, noted that little practical
science was being taught in the schools at any grade level. He viewed the “sciences as keys to the
treasures of nature . . . hands must be trained to use them wisely.” Jefferson enlisted his friend
DuPont de Nemours, a medical doctor and minister of agriculture in France, to survey the teaching
of science in schools and to make recommendations for improvement. de Nemours reported that
teachers said they had no textbooks that related science to practical affairs or that enhanced the
progress of the country as a developing nation (de Nemours, 1923, pp. 55, 159). The U.S. Congress
refused to grant the money to develop a science curriculum focused on social progress, contending
this was a responsibility of the local community.