"During the forty years between 1920 and 1960--under the stimulus of two world wars, a great depression, and a rapidly accelerating pace of change in technological, economic, political, and cultural affairs--adult education became an integral part of the American way of life. Whereas before 1920 the term 'adult education' did not even appear in the professional educational vocabulary, by 1960 this term was widely used as a symbol of a significant aspect of the national institutional system. Indeed, during this period the variegated activities for the education of adults began to become organized into an adult educational field." From Knowles, M. (1977 ). A History of the Adult Education Movement in the United States. Huntington, NY: Robert E. Krieger Publishing, p. 154

Demographics: The population grew rapidly from 106 million in 1920 to over 178 million in 1960. The cities also continued growing as people moved out of rural areas looking for work.

Economy: After WWI there was a period of great prosperity followed by the Great Depression. After WWII the country saw another period of prosperity as the development of new technologies grew.

Government: Prior to the Roosevelt administration, the government had had a laissez-faire policy regarding its roles in economic affairs. Because of the financial devastation caused by the Depression, the government began to play a central role in creating a structure for economic security. During this period the idea that the government should be partly responsible for the welfare of the people became accepted.

Society: Improvements in transportation and mass communication meant that even those in rural areas had access to some of the amenities of the cities. Women were becoming more autonomous at this time and welfare services were greatly expanded.

Science: Einstein's theory of relativity shook up the world of physics. Great strides were made in the sciences during this era which increased the tensions between scientifically and non-scientifically oriented schools of thought.

Art: The arts flourished in the decades after WWI. New developments in mass media meant that creative artists had a greater and more direct access to their audiences.

According to Kett, "Adult education [in the 1930s] became more therapeutic and civic than intellectual and individual, a way to assist people to feel better about themselves and their communities rather than an instrument for encouraging social criticism. Indeed, in the 1930s many educators scaled down their expectations of the public's capacity for serious intellectual exchange…" (p.371). What does this tell us about the role of AE at that time? How do AE educators view the public today--how does the public view AE? From: Kett, J.F. (1994). The Pursuit of Knowledge Under Difficulties. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.

"Well into the 1960s most educators equated democratizing higher education with opening it to ever-widening circles of eighteen-year olds, and they continued to associate adult education with avocational interests." (p.447) What role does higher education play in the education of adults? Think back to some of the definitions of AE, how have they changed over the years?

1920 The 19^th Amendment is passed and women receive the right to vote.

1926 The National Broadcasting Service (NBC) is founded. Radio takes on an educational role through broadcasts that include music, drama, the news, and weather.

1929 - late 1930s The Great Depression begins with the crash of the stock market on Thursday, October 24, 1929.

1933 The first adult education program is set up at Columbia University; in 1934 Lyman Bryson became the first professor of adult education and the first to create a graduate program in the field. The following year William Hallenbeck and William Stacy became the first Ph.D.'s in the field.

1934 The Indian Reorganization Act is passed. Indians can now conduct popular vote elections and govern their own political affairs by constitution and by-laws.

1935 The Federal Emergency Relief Act (FERA),later called The Works Progress Administration (WPA), conducts an emergency education program which creates jobs for unemployed teachers by having them instruct unemployed and needy adults.

1943 The U.S. Armed Forces Institute (USAFI) is formed to provide education to those in the military. The USAFI conducted correspondence courses and classroom instruction on military bases around the world. Students could take courses in a wide variety of subjects from vocational education to languages to psychology. The military eventually developed the General Educational Development (GED) test because so many soldiers wanted to go to college after the war.

1946 Kurt Lewin, Ronald Lippitt, Leland Bradford, and Kenneth Benne create the National Training Laboratory in Group Development. They use the principles they have developed in group dynamics, problem-solving processes, and leadership styles in workshops with teachers.

1950 Educational gerontology emerges as an academic discipline.

1951 The AAAE merges with the National Education Association's Department of Adult Education and becomes the Adult Education Association of the U.S.A. (AEA).

1962 Michael Harrington's The Other America is published--Harrinton brings up the issue of poverty and illustrates that the belief in America as a classless society is a myth.

1963 Betty Friedan's Feminine Mystique is published.

1963 The Vocational Education Act is passed which frees community colleges from the restrictions of the Smith-Hughes Act and allows for more federal funding of occupational courses.

What you find in the history books on AE is that the closer you get to the present time, the more information there is. This makes sense, of course, because as the infrastructure of the U.S. improved, the need for more (and better) educational opportunities increased. The following information is taken from chapter 4 of Knowles' history of AE.

• Industry began providing facilities designed exclusively for education.
• Industry developed increasingly closer cooperation with formal educational institutions.