This work explores the grand themes and practices in the history of moral education from the earliest days of Colonial America. Chapter 1, "Moral Education in Early America," traces the nature and scope of moral education practiced by early European settlers. Chapter 2, "The Nineteenth-Century Revolution in Moral Education," explores the re-emergence of moral education from 1820-1900. Chapter 3, "Religion and Moral Education: American Configurations," examines the rise of nonsectarian public schooling during the 19th century. Chapter 4, "The Effects of Modernity, 1890's-1940's," investigates the first serious challenge to moral education in American schooling during the Progressive Era. Chapter 5, "Decline and Revival, 1945-Present," documents the decline of moral education in the postwar period. Broader cultural changes, including the civil-rights and antiwar movements, challenged traditional moral assumptions with more relativistic value perspectives, exemplified by the growth in values clarification programs, cognitive developmentalism, new feminist approaches, and character education. The epilogue, "The Present Moment in Moral Education," concludes with the observation that while advocates of the role of moral education in modern schooling can point to some successes, their efforts remain controversial and limited by inadequate teacher training and uncertain public support. (Contains a bibliography with 49 entries.) (TEJ)