Yale's Reports, published in 1828, is a seminalpublication for
understanding the development of American higher education. Giving
highest priority to critical thinking skills, this fifty-six-page
pamphlet played a central role in clearly delineating teaching
objectives, modes of learning, and range of curriculum for the nation s
colleges. In a deeply researched and well-crafted analytical narrative,
David B. Potts introduces Yale s document, probes its origins and
message, surveys its national reception, and assesses its import for
liberal education, both then and now. His broadly contextual approach
helps readers understand why the young republic, informed and encouraged
by Yale s rationale, became a land of liberal arts colleges.