Bennett, William
Identification Chair of the NEH, 1981-1985; U.S.
secretary of education, 1985-1989; and director
of national drug control policy, 1989-1991
Born July 31, 1943; Brooklyn, New York
William Bennett was a major figure in the conservative
backlash to the multicultural movement in education and a
advocate of what he believed were traditional American val-
ues in the arts and humanities. He also served as the first
cabinet-level drug czar, decisively shaping the administra-
tive structure of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control
Policy.
William Bennett, an outspoken conservative, served
as chair of the National Endowment for the Human-
ities (NEH) from 1981 to 1985. As chair, he denied
funding to programs that criticized America, called
for the abolition of the NEH, and reduced the bud-
get by 14 percent. HisTo Reclaim a Legacy: A Report on
the Humanities in Higher Educationchallenged the ed-
ucational trend toward diversity and multicultural-
ism. He believed that American schools should not
be critical of the United States. President Ronald
Reagan, who shared Bennett’s ideals, appointed him
secretary of education, allowing him to focus on ed-
ucation reform.
Although traditionally considered the least im-
portant cabinet department, under Bennett’s con-
trol from 1985 to 1988, the Department of Educa-
tion gained more influence and visibility. Bennett
was strongly opposed to federally guaranteed stu-
dent loans, blaming them for the rise in college costs
and student irresponsibility. He thought that col-
leges failed to educate students in citizenship and
criticized Stanford University for including courses
on non-Western cultures. He was a strong advocate
for school vouchers, which allow parents to pay for
private and religious schools with taxpayers’ money.
Bennett tried to end the Bilingual Act of 1968, a law
designed to help foreign-speaking students, and he
hoped to implement a standard national curricu-
lum. Bennett wanted to end tenure, tie teachers’ sal-
aries to student performance, and implement na-
tional teacher competency tests.
In 1989, President George H. W. Bush appointed
Bennett to be the first director of the Office of Na-
tional Drug Control Policy, a position he held until
- He became the director (popularly known as
the drug czar) just as crack cocaine began to devas-
tate America’s inner cities. Washington, D.C., was
particularly hard-hit, experiencing escalating drug
use and a murder rate seven times the national aver-
age. AIDS was also rising among drug users. Ben-
nett, responding to these threats, believed that all us-
ers, from first-time offenders to addicts, belonged in
prison. He allocated billions of dollars for prisons
and enforcement but almost nothing for education
or treatment. Bennett imposed mandatory sentenc-
ing for drug offenses, causing the U.S. prison popula-
tion to soar. Part of his strategy included refusing
drug users federally subsidized housing and seizing
their property. He resigned as drug czar after nine-
teen months, having failed, many believe, to win the
so-called war on drugs.
Impact Bennett, a controversial figure, left a last-
ing impact on American domestic policy in educa-
tion and drug enforcement. His detractors think
that his desire to return to his version of a values-
based curriculum was misguided and discriminatory,
and they accuse Bennett of pushing a right-wing, rac-
ist agenda based in a particular interpretation of
Christian values. They perceive his policies as anti-
multicultural and politically incorrect. His support-
ers believe that he expressed a strong respect for the
country and its founding values. Since retiring from
public service, Bennett has written many books,
served in conservative organizations, and hosted a
popular radio talk show.
Further Reading
Bennett, William J.Book of Virtues: A Treasur y of Great
Moral Stories. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993.
_______.From the Age of Discover y to a World at War.
Vol.1inAmerica: The Last Best Hope. Nashville,
Tenn.: Nelson Current, 2006.
Katz, Jon.Virtuous Reality: How America Surrendered
Discussion of Moral Values to Opportunists, Nitwits,
and Blockheads Like William Bennett. New York:
Random House, 1997.
Leslie NeilanSee also AIDS epidemic; Bush, George H. W.;
Closing of the American Mind, The; Conservatism in U.S.
politics; Crack epidemic; Drug Abuse Resistance Edu-
cation (D.A.R.E.); Education in the United States;
Just Say No campaign; Multiculturalism in education;
National Education Summit of 1989; Political cor-
rectness; Reagan, Ronald; School vouchers debate;
Standards and accountability in education.104 Bennett, William The Eighties in America