도산은 우리 민족의 비젼을 독립정신과 민주주의 의식을 갖춘 선진국민이 되어 선진 조국을 건설하는 것으로 설정하였다. 그리고 그 목적 달성을 위한 지름길로서 교육을 상정하고 국민교육론을 일찍부터 설파하였다. 교육을 통해 역사변혁의 주체인 국민을 육성하려 했던 도산은 미국이라는 선진 문명국과 재미한인사회라는 모델을 통해 교육으로써 선진국민을 육성하고 선진조국을 건설하고자 했으며 재미한인사회는 그 실험장이자 모범장이었다. 도산은 미국내의 한국민은 식민지지배를 받는 약소민이며 망국민에 지나지 않는 최하층 유색 열등민족이라는 자괴감에서 벗어나 조국독립과 조국증진에 기여하는 우수한 인적 집단이 될 수 있다는 자부심을 교육을 통해 불어넣어주었다. 국권을 상실한 조국을 살리기 위해 민족교육과 군인양성교육을 통해 독립의 희망을 갖고자 했던 재미한인들의 교육적 열의는 대한인국민회 조직을 통하여 재미한인사회에만 한정되지 않고 국내, 만주, 시베리아지역의 재외한인사회로 확산되었다. 그들은 ‘교육이 바로 생명’이라는 절실한 신념 아래 이 모든 가치를 구현하기 위한 조직적 기반을 갖추는데 전력하였다. 도산은 1911년 미국으로 입국하기 이전에 일구어낸 경험과 인적 네트워크를 기반으로 1910년대 재미한인사회의 민족교육운동을 지도하였다. 유학생과 2세들, 그리고 일반 피교육자들은 미국 공립학교에서 배우는 정규 교육 외에, 별도로 임시정부적 존재인 대한인국민회의 학무정책에 따라 역사의식과 자의식, 애국혼을 키워주는 민족문화교육을 의무적으로 교육받아야 했다. 항일투쟁을 전개하는 중에 조국증진과 민족번영의 목표를 향해 전진해야 했던 복잡한 시대였으나 그의 교육관은 ‘건전인격’이라는 평범한 진리에서 출발한다. 진실정신과 윤리의식을 통해 정직과 신용과 실용, 그리고 사랑의 가치를 교육으로 일깨워 주고자 했던 도산의 교육관은 오늘날 선진자본주의 민주국가에서 최고의 미덕으로 여기는 실용주의와 신용주의 가치의 존중과 다름아니다. 오늘날 교육학자간에도 인간교육에서 정직과 성실은 최고의 경쟁률로 꼽고 있는 교육적 보편주의에 입각해 있음은 주목된다. 독립, 민족국가 수립의 과제를 앞에 두고 무력항쟁을 펼쳐야 했던 우리 민족의 특수 현실 앞에서 개인의 자유와 공익을 추구하며 자유민주주의 국가건설을 교육의 최고 목표로 설정한 도산이야말로 가장 교육자다운 면모를 갖춘 이라 평가할 수 있다. 도산은 재미동포사회를 중심으로 전 해외 동포사회를 국민의식과 국민조직으로 통일연합한다는 거대한 마스터플랜 속에서 자기 자신과 사회, 그리고 국가의 가치를 삼위일체의 관계로 설정하고 개인의 도덕심으로부터 출발한 자아혁신, 사회공익에 공헌할 수 있는 희생정신을 가르쳤다. 그리고 그것이 사회혁신과 민족혁명의 길이며 결코 인류공영과 세계평화와 상충하지 않는 길임을 증명하였다. 개인의 도덕심으로부터 시작하여 사회와 국가에 공헌할 수 있는 공익의식을 넓혀나가고 민족운동의 대계와 비전을 세워 분명한 방향성과 목표를 설정하고 실천해 나간 도산의 교육관과 그가 중심이 되어 펼친 교육운동의 원리는 오늘날의 교육이론에 견주어 볼 때, 전혀 부족함이 없는 내용을 갖추고 있다고 평가할 수 있다.

Dosan established the vision of our people as being the advanced people with the spirit of independence and democracy awareness and building the advanced fatherland. He assumed that education would be the shortcut to achieve this desired end and elucidated the theory of national education at an early stage. Dosan tried to foster the people, the subject of the historical reform through education. He set up the United States of America, the advanced civilized country and Korean society in America as a model and tried to foster the advanced people by education and build the advanced fatherland. The Korean society in America was its testing and model ground. By education Dosan made the Korean people free themselves from having a sense of shame that they were the people of a small and weak and the lowest colored inferior people, and inspired them to be excellent human resources contributing to the independence and development of their fatherland. The enthusiasm for the education of the Korean people in America who cherished a hope of independence through national education and training soldiers in order to revive the fatherland which lost its power of the state was not limited to the Korean society in America, and it permeated the Korean societies at home and in Manchuria and Siberia through the organization of The Korean National Association. They fired on all cylinders to prepare an organizational foothold for realization of all values under the earnest conviction of “education is the very life”. Dosan led a national education movement in the Korean society in America in 1910s on the basis of his experiences before his entrance into America in 1911 and personal network. Korean students studying in America, the second-generation Koreans and general educatees were required to get an education of national cultures which raised historical consciousness, self-awareness and the spirit of patriotism according to the policy of school affairs of The Korean National Association - a Society for a Korean independence movement”, which was like the Korea's provisional government, besides regular school education. His view on education began from the common truth of “sound personality” even though he lived in the complicated times of advancing on the development of his fatherland and national prosperity during an anti-Japanese struggle. His view on education, with whom he tried to make the people aware of the value of honesty, confidence, utilitarianism and love through the spirit of truth and ethic, is no more than respect for the value of pragmatism and the principle of confidence which is considered as the best virtue in the advanced capitalist and democratized countries nowadays. His view of education is worthy of note because honesty and sincerity are on the basis of educational universalism which is considered as the best law of competition among the educators today. Pursuing the personal freedom and public benefit under the hard situation of the Korean people who had to contend with arms for the establishment of the nation of the Korean people, he set the establishment of the state of freedom and democracy as the prime goal of education. Accordingly he can be estimated to be the real educator. Dosan established the value of an individual, society and nation as the relation of a trinity under a vast master plan to unite all societies of Koreans abroad centering on the society of Koreans in America with people's concepts and organization. And he taught self-reform started from individual morality and the spirit of self-sacrifice which could contribute to social benefit. And he showed that these are the way to society reform and national revolution and these are never contradictory to mutual prosperity and world peace. It is considered that his view on education, that is, expanding the consciousness of public benefit to contribute to the society and nation from individual morality, establishing the direction and aim of the grand plan and vision of national movement and putting them into practice, and his principle of education movement had all necessary substance in view of the present theory of education.

Dosan established the vision of our people as being the advanced people with the spirit of independence and democracy awareness and building the advanced fatherland. He assumed that education would be the shortcut to achieve this desired end and elucidated the theory of national education at an early stage. Dosan tried to foster the people, the subject of the historical reform through education. He set up the United States of America, the advanced civilized country and Korean society in America as a model and tried to foster the advanced people by education and build the advanced fatherland. The Korean society in America was its testing and model ground. By education Dosan made the Korean people free themselves from having a sense of shame that they were the people of a small and weak and the lowest colored inferior people, and inspired them to be excellent human resources contributing to the independence and development of their fatherland. The enthusiasm for the education of the Korean people in America who cherished a hope of independence through national education and training soldiers in order to revive the fatherland which lost its power of the state was not limited to the Korean society in America, and it permeated the Korean societies at home and in Manchuria and Siberia through the organization of The Korean National Association. They fired on all cylinders to prepare an organizational foothold for realization of all values under the earnest conviction of “education is the very life”. Dosan led a national education movement in the Korean society in America in 1910s on the basis of his experiences before his entrance into America in 1911 and personal network. Korean students studying in America, the second-generation Koreans and general educatees were required to get an education of national cultures which raised historical consciousness, self-awareness and the spirit of patriotism according to the policy of school affairs of The Korean National Association - a Society for a Korean independence movement”, which was like the Korea's provisional government, besides regular school education. His view on education began from the common truth of “sound personality” even though he lived in the complicated times of advancing on the development of his fatherland and national prosperity during an anti-Japanese struggle. His view on education, with whom he tried to make the people aware of the value of honesty, confidence, utilitarianism and love through the spirit of truth and ethic, is no more than respect for the value of pragmatism and the principle of confidence which is considered as the best virtue in the advanced capitalist and democratized countries nowadays. His view of education is worthy of note because honesty and sincerity are on the basis of educational universalism which is considered as the best law of competition among the educators today. Pursuing the personal freedom and public benefit under the hard situation of the Korean people who had to contend with arms for the establishment of the nation of the Korean people, he set the establishment of the state of freedom and democracy as the prime goal of education. Accordingly he can be estimated to be the real educator. Dosan established the value of an individual, society and nation as the relation of a trinity under a vast master plan to unite all societies of Koreans abroad centering on the society of Koreans in America with people's concepts and organization. And he taught self-reform started from individual morality and the spirit of self-sacrifice which could contribute to social benefit. And he showed that these are the way to society reform and national revolution and these are never contradictory to mutual prosperity and world peace. It is considered that his view on education, that is, expanding the consciousness of public benefit to contribute to the society and nation from individual morality, establishing the direction and aim of the grand plan and vision of national movement and putting them into practice, and his principle of education movement had all necessary substance in view of the present theory of education.

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Independence Club, United Korean Association, New People's Society, Young Korean Men's Companionship Society, Ideal Village Construction Movement, Korean National Association, Young Korean Academy, Claremont Korean Student Training Center, Korean Language Education, Peoplel Revolution.