Does Educational Philanthropy Shape Democracy? A Tale of Two Schools in San Fernando de Béxar

This paper explores the role educational philanthropy plays in shaping American education’s democratic outcomes, with an emphasis on value alignment. It applies a historical analysis of two public schools in nineteenth-century San Fernando de Béxar (now San Antonio, Texas): one from 1811 meant to foster loyalty to the Spanish crown and one from 1828 reinforcing democratic-Catholic values. Challenging purely market-based interpretations, it argues that educational philanthropy’s impact on democracy is contingent on the philanthropist’s commitment to democratic values, as well as their alignment with the ideals of the community they intend for their philanthropy to serve. It concludes by connecting San Fernando’s experience to modern corporate philanthropy and calls for further research as to how educational philanthropy interacts with American democracy.