Purpose

This study asks how American institutions of higher education defended the principles of academic freedom (or intellectual autonomy) during the 1950s, even as they became increasingly dependent on the federal government's financial support, their eligibility for which required an oath of political loyalty under the terms of the National Defense Education Act of 1958. Universities whose students or professors resisted the oath faced a dilemma of institutional governance as well as intellectual integrity during the early years of the Cold War.

Design/methodology/approach

The study draws on documentary and archival sources, including the Congressional Record, the AAUP Bulletin, student pamphlets, newspapers and other publications of the US federal government, and on secondary sources.

Findings

The author finds that the US federal government began to invest heavily in higher education during the 1950s, but financial support was often accompanied by political oversight. Higher education institutions and their professors struggled to reconcile a sense of responsibility for national service with a desire for academic freedom. The findings show how the federal government treated institutions of higher education and dealt with the issue of academic freedom during the Cold War.

Originality/value

This study draws on a large pool of primary sources and previous research to offer new insights into an enduring ideological tension between academic freedom, public service and financial patronage.

中文翻译：

---

《国防教育法》，美国大学教授协会和20世纪中叶的学术自由困境

目的

这项研究询问了1950年代，美国的高等教育机构如何捍卫学术自由（或知识自主）的原则，即使它们越来越依赖联邦政府的财政支持，而要获得其资格，则必须在以下条件下宣誓效忠政治这是1958年《国防教育法》的一部分。在冷战初期，那些学生或教授抵制誓言的大学面临着制度管理和知识完整性的困境。

设计/方法/方法

该研究借鉴了文献资料和档案资料，包括美国国会记录，AAUP公告，学生手册，报纸和美国联邦政府的其他出版物，以及辅助资料。

发现

作者发现，美国联邦政府在1950年代开始对高等教育进行大量投资，但财政支持通常伴随着政治监督。高等教育机构及其教授努力调和对国家服务的责任感与对学术自由的渴望。研究结果表明，在冷战期间，联邦政府如何对待高等教育机构并处理学术自由问题。

创意/价值

这项研究利用了大量的主要资源和以前的研究来提供新的见解，以了解学术自由，公共服务和财政支持之间持久的意识形态张力。