Johann Neem is a scholar of the era of the American Revolution and the early American republic and the history of education. He is a regular public contributor on issues relating to history, culture, and education. He is editor of the Journal of the Early Republic. His most recent book, ”What’s the Point of College?,” seeks to answer that very question for our reform-minded era. In “Democracy’s Schools: The Rise of Public Education in America” he examines the origins and purposes of public education between the American Revolution and the Civil War. His first book, “Creating a Nation of Joiners” examines the development of civil society after American independence. Neem received his BA in history from Brown University, where he wrote his senior thesis on civic education under the guidance of Ted Sizer. He went on to complete his PhD at the University of Virginia under Peter Onuf. Neem is Professor of History at Western Washington University.