A Primer on the History and Philosophy of Education is an introductory narrative of the foundational educational history and philosophy of the American system. The author presents the history of education as a part of the larger picture of the development of civilization. Therefore, the historic and philosophical antecedents of our current education system are explained. Starting with an overview of history and philosophy, the author proceeds to the Western experience in education as the baseline of all educational eras in the United States. This narrative will stimulate both student and teacher to find deeper veins of historical understanding in other works, internet sources, classical texts, and class discussions. In addition, the brevity of the text allows the instructor to select various works from primary education theorists such as Plato, Rousseau, Burke, and Dewey to augment the course content and tie the books together with lectures and narrative.